Santana won’t be a free agent until after the 2018 season and has been far from stellar in his time with Minnesota, compiling a 4.27 ERA in 185.2 innings with the Twins. That said, he is a veteran pitcher that can eat innings, and the Twins could be looking to get out from under his contract at the deadline this year.
The Red Sox have money to spend, and need help in their rotation. Steven Wright has been fantastic, David Price has shown signs of returning to his former self, Clay Buckholtz, well nobody knows, Eduardo Rodriguez has been disappointing since coming off the disabled list and has subsequently been sent back to the minors, while Rick Porcello has basically been what Ervin Santana could potentially provide the team.
The move wouldn’t cost the Sox much in the way of prospects, and could give them some depth in their rotation, which ranks 19th in ERA with a 4.67. It’s not a splashy move by any means, but right now the Red Sox farm system is their bread and butter, and money basically grows on trees.
For a point of reference, the Red Sox traded away Jake Peavy and his 4.76 ERA in 2014, and with the Giants he put up a 2.17 ERA in twelve starts with San Francisco. There is certainly a lot more uncertainty when it comes to Santana, who is owed $27 million through 2018, in addition to the rest of this year, but if the Twins take on some of that money while freeing up a great deal of that money for future spending, it could be a deal that makes sense for both teams.
Aside from a rough outing against the Tampa Bay Rays this season, Santana has pitched well against the AL East, totaling a 3.20 ERA over 28.1 innings, with the Tampa Bay Rays giving him the most heartache after hanging five earned on him in six innings back on June 4.
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