Boston Red Sox Seeking Pitching Upgrades

Despite signing David Price in the offseason and the breakout of knuckleballer Steven Wright, the Boston Red Sox starting rotation has been, to put it simply, mediocre.  The Sox rank 16th in the league with a 4.16 ERA, so it’s no surprise that they would inquire about upgrades to the rotation.

Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald reported that the Sox contacted the reeling Pittsburgh Pirates about ace Gerrit Cole, and the Miami Marlins about Jose Fernandez – but there was just one thing holding up a trade.  The Red Sox were unwilling to part with stars Xander Bogaerts and Mookie Betts.

What a surprise.  A good team is looking for upgrades to make themselves great, and they’re unwilling to break up their superb core.  There’s no reason for the Sox to trade either of the duo, however, as Bogaerts is hitting an otherworldly .352/.401/.518 and Betts is creeping his average near .300 while showing off impressive power.

While the Sox may not be able to acquire Cole or Fernandez without including either Bogaerts or Betts, Silverman notes that there’s a glut of other pitchers available on the trade market that can be acquired for a less flashy package.

Down in the minors, the Sox have no shortage of impact prospects to acquire a top of the rotation starter.  And with Price now living up to his contract, pitchers like Cole and Fernandez may not be necessary.  Players like Yoan Moncada and Andrew Benintendi may be off limits, but their abundance of pitching prospects can likely get a deal done.

Silverman noted that if the Sox can’t acquire a starter, they’ll look to follow the Kansas City Royals model of bolstering their bullpen.

Boston has the prospects and major league talent to acquire an impact starter in the next month. Here’s a look at five realistic options (two starters, three relievers), and the packages they could use to acquire them.

Next: Sonny Days Ahead