Red Sox Rumors: Vicente Padilla and the Market for Starting Pitching
As is the mindset of most major league clubs this time of year, the Boston Red Sox are prowling the free agent market in search of a bargain buy. Unlike previous years, the Red Sox don’t have much to spend, but they are willing to be patient and get creative to fill their starting rotation. It was announced yesterday that the Red Sox were holding talks with free agent Vicente Padilla, and that Boston is still speaking with the agent of Hiroki Kuroda.
Yesterday evening it appeared that the Red Sox were nearing an agreement with Padilla, as Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com was reporting that both sides were “moving toward a deal”.
However, Alex Speier of WEEI.com later said that his sources heard that the Red Sox were merely “talking to” Padilla along with several other free agent pitchers. The same sources said that there is “nothing to report” about the team’s interest in Padilla even though it was rumored that the right-hander visited Boston yesterday to be examined by the Red Sox medical staff.
Padilla has proven his health this winter while pitching in Nicaragua. Speier reports that the 34-year-old has his fastball currently sitting in the mid-90’s, and an industry source told WEEI.com that Padilla is “healthy and he’s throwing hard”.
This has the veteran seeking another major league gig and a starting one at that. Padilla last logged significant major league innings as a starter back in 2010 when he maintained an ERA and WHIP of 4.07 and 1.084 over his 16 starts and 95 innings pitched for the Dodgers.
While Padilla could ultimately end up being another low-cost addition to the Red Sox, Boston continues to keep its eyes on a higher-profile free agent. Jon Paul Morosi of Fox Sports is reporting that the Red Sox “remain in talks with the agent for Hiroki Kuroda”.
Kuroda’s been tied to several clubs, including the Yankees and Red Sox, this offseason. While he is one of the more consistent starting pitchers remaining on the market, teams appear willing to wait for Kuroda’s price tag to drop. It was reported that the veteran right-hander was seeking $12-13 million this winter, though the Red Sox and Yankees are expected to become more interested in Kuroda only when his demands drop to the $8-9 million range.
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You can check out all of the available free agents by position below.