The American League East has become the MLB equivalent of the NBA’s Eastern Conference; hang around .500 (or even below it) and you’ll find yourself hanging around.
The Boston Red Sox meet that qualifier, and sit at 22-26 after Thursday’s 5-1 win over the Texas Rangers. And while a .458 winning percentage through the team’s first 48 games isn’t what the team had in mind after making several offseason acquisitions, they sit just three games out of first place despite their current fourth-place status.
Rick Porcello hasn’t lived up to his mega extension, Wade Miley has been subpar, Joe Kelly has been flat out bad, and Clay Buchholz can’t seem to catch a break. Mike Napoli at-bats are as different as day and night, Blake Swihart hasn’t lived up to the hype early on, and Mookie Betts and Hanley Ramirez could stand to get on base a little more often.
But somehow, it hasn’t fallen apart just yet, and there’s still time to right the ship. The question is how.
A quick fix to solidifying the starting rotation is rekindling talks with the Phillies regarding Cole Hamels. While Ruben Amaro, Jr. would have as much negotiating power now as ever — what with Hamels off to a great start and Boston being desperate for rotation help — adding the veteran lefty to the front of that rotation (and subsequently taking pressure off each starter behind him) would go a long way.
A cheaper solution could be Reds right-hander Mike Leake, though if Cherington really wants to right the ship, Hamels is his best bet.
More help could come by shoring up the catcher position in the form of Colorado’s Nick Hundley, who has hit .315 to this point (as opposed to Swihart’s .219). Despite his strong start, Hundley would still come at a significantly cheaper price than Milwaukee’s Jonathan Lucroy, who has gotten off to a weak start and battled injuries anyhow.
The alternative for Cherington is to bite the bullet and concede that this won’t be Boston’s year. Despite their slow starts, Boston could likely find quality returns for Buchholz and Napoli, while also clearing potential playing time for top prospects like Henry Owens, Eduardo Rodriguez and Travis Shaw.
While the Red Sox could afford to wait before selling off pieces, they’d be best served making moves now if they intend to compete in 2015. Stuck amidst very average teams in the AL East, fixing a few key holes could make Boston a clear division frontrunner quickly. It’s up to Cherington to decide if that’s what he wants.