Red Sox, Padres have talked Yoenis Cespedes for Ian Kennedy

With several options in the outfield heading into the 2015 season, it has been oft-speculated that the Boston Red Sox may look to move Cuban outfielder Yoenis Cespedes, whom the team acquired in the midseason trade that sent Jon Lester to the Oakland Athletics last summer.

According to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, the Red Sox have been in talks with the San Diego Padres, who under the direction of first-year general manager A.J. Preller have emerged as one of the most active clubs this winter – seemingly connected with every free agent available to some degree.

Cespedes, who signed with the Athletics prior to the 2012 season, has just one season of team control left – at a price tag of $10.5 million. Last year, between Oakland and Boston, the 29-year-old outfielder batted .260/.301/.450, driving in 100 runs and smacking 36 doubles – both of which were career-highs. With the addition of Hanley Ramirez as a corner outfielder, the team has a Dodgers-like situation in terms of an abundance of outfielders – and for a unique reason, Cespedes could be the most popular trade target.

Under his contract, the outfielder is not tied to draft pick compensation – which simplifies his situation, to a degree. While the Padres would no-doubt like to see a bat like Cespedes in the lineup every day, the team has several needs this offseason, which makes bringing a rental player onboard a somewhat puzzling move for the front office.

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On the other end of the talks, Ian Kennedy would be a potential answer for one of Boston’s most glaring needs – shoring up the starting rotation (although, as Rosenthal points out, Boston wants a higher return for Cespedes). The team is desperately vying to bring back former ace left-hander Jon Lester, but there are several other clubs, including the Chicago Cubs, San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers, interested in the southpaw.

Kennedy, a former first-round pick of the New York Yankees, posted a career-best 3.21 FIP in 33 starts totaling 201 innings last season for the Padres. His 13-13 record at first seems off-putting, but the right-hander has shown in the past just how dominant he can be. In 2011, the now-29-year-old went 21-4 with the Arizona Diamondbacks, finishing fourth in the National League Cy Young voting – while amassing a career-high 222 innings of work.

The right-hander is under team control through 2015 – meaning the deal would essentially be a swap of one-year rentals.