The Red Sox have too much of everything, including starting pitching. They’re fielding calls from teams looking to trade for one of seven starters the Red Sox are hoarding. Which means they’re on the phone 24/7. But the intrigue surrounding this storyline is twofold. Should the Red Sox be trading a starter, and if so, who should it be?
On the surface, you might say that before the Red Sox trade a starting pitcher, maybe they should place a call to the New York Mets and talk for a while to Sandy Alderson and Terry Collins about what can happen over the course of a long season. Because there’s an element of truth to the saying in baseball that “You can never have too much pitching.”
Red Sox: Look Before You Leap
And maybe the Red Sox are considering that already, and they’re operating on the assumption that it doesn’t hurt to listen. Because who knows, a team out there just might make you an offer that you can’t refuse. And after being referred to as the “New Evil Empire” by Peter Gammons, the Red Sox might be thinking that a little “share the wealth” philosophy would help turn that around.
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The one thing you can say and agree on is the trio of David Price, newly acquired Chris Sale and Rick Porcello has been durable over the years. They give you innings and sometimes that’s all you need from a starting pitcher if you have an explosive offense. And the Red Sox certainly have that.
But still, it’s a gamble especially when you consider the rate that pitchers are falling off the table lately. On the other hand – and this is the reason why they will make a trade – the Red Sox are flying high right now, and that intoxicating feeling will make them feel like they can overcome any illness that afflicts them by summoning up another deal for whatever they need.
Red Sox: And the Odd Man Out Is…
So now the question becomes who goes and who stays. Obviously, Sale, Price, and the reigning Cy Young Rick Porcello stay. Though since the Red Sox are playoff-bound again, they could give Price a second look due to issues he continues to have when the calendar flips to October.
Of the remaining starters, SB Nation gives the nod to Clay Buchholz as the one most likely to go if the Red Sox get their way: “Buchholz might bring back the least given he has just the one year left and is owed $13.5 million, but he would also open up payroll space for the Red Sox to upgrade in-season while pushing them further under the luxury tax threshold now.”
But that $13.5 million price tag on Buchholz might be a bit steep for a team like the Marlins who are still trying to do the impossible to replace Jose Fernandez. Buchholz has been with the Red Sox forever, and despite showing signs of coming out of his shell at the end of last season, he has never pitched in a way that matches his talent in Boston, and it might be time for him to simply move on if the Sox reduce what they expect to get back for him.
Next: Rays' Colome a Valuable Trade Piece
Round and round she goes, and where she stops nobody knows. And this is just the beginning of a season in which the Red Sox are bound to capture an inordinate amount of attention, even without the “Big Papi Show” playing in your town every night.