At the beginning of this year, it seemed that the Red Sox had a flood of hitting prospects– particularly in the outfield– and not so much on the mound. That may still apply to a degree, but one Red Sox pitching prospect has been really shining to this point. Matt Barnes was the Red Sox first round draftee last season– 19th overall– out of University of Connecticut, where he had had a long and prosperous career as the Huskies’ ace. He played three years for UConn, finishing up last year with a fantastic season in which he went 11-4 with a 1.62 ERA and was the Big East Pitcher of the Year.

The more I look at Barnes’ college stats and scouting reports, it amazes me that he lasted until 19th on the draft boards. Not only did he excel in his junior year, he dominated. He struck out 8.56 batters per nine innings and a 3.58 strikeout:walk ratio. His WHIP was unbelievable at just 0.87 and walked just 2.39 per nine. He has a great body for a pitcher, as the right-hander is 6’4″ and weighs 203 pounds. He throws hard– he ranges throughout the mid-90′s and has been clocked as high as 98 mph. He even throws an excellent curve and a decent change to compliment his fastball.

Barnes has taken all of his advantages and used them to completely dominate the opposition in the lower levels of the minors. He reported to single-A Greenville right out of Spring Training, but he lasted there for all of five starts. In those five starts, Barnes went 2-0 and put up a ridiculous 0.34 ERA and 14.18 strikeouts per nine innings. Needless to say, he was quickly moved to high-A Salem. So far, Barnes has shown no sign of slacking off at Salem, as he is 1-0 with a 1.50 ERA and an even 15 strikeouts per nine innings.

Barnes is only 21 years old right now, and Red Sox fans are already getting excited about him. He projects to be a future ace as pitching coaches have seen no flaws in his arsenal. He has a smooth, easy delivery in which he generates easy velocity– according to SoxProspects. It’s been a long time since the Red Sox had a starting pitcher who could throw mid-to-high 90′s and strikeout north of nine batters per nine innings. However, Barnes could be that guy before too long. According to SoxProspects, his estimated time of arrival at the major league level is mid-2014, and I can hardly wait!

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Kevin Youkilis

One possibility is to deal Youkilis and one potential landing spot is the Philadelphia Phillies.

David Murphy from Philly.com recently looked at the idea of the Phillies trying to acquire Youkilis, stating that his offensive production would give them some much needed run support from an otherwise anemic infield.  One option that Murphy suggests to send to Boston is right-hander Joe Blanton.

Blanton is off to a nice start this season for Philly with a 4-3 record, 2.96 ERA, 1.068 WHIP, 6.5K/9 and a 1.3BB/9.  Certainly impressive numbers and when you consider the Red Sox starting pitching woes, it’s easy to say Blanton would be a welcomed addition to the Red Sox.

But not so fast.  There are a few things to consider.

When you compare salary, Youkilis is making $12M and Blanton $8.5M.  Not a huge difference and likely not a deal breaker.  Both players are eligible for free-agency after this year, considering Youkilis doesn’t have his team option picked up.  This is something to consider when looking at Joe Blanton.

Do the Red Sox need a rent-a-pitcher for the next four months?  Considering that both Aaron Cook and Daisuke Matsuzaka are close to returning which will create a logjam in the rotation in itself, throwing Blanton into the mix further complicates things.  Already the Sox are considering a six-man rotation with either Cook or Dice-K and one or the other heading to the bullpen.

There is still the uncertainty of Clay Buchholz and should he struggle after one fine outing then it may open the door for another in-house starter.  Buchholz will get more than just one start to prove he’s still worthy of a starting job.

One option is to put Felix Doubront, Daniel Bard or both in the bullpen.  But is demoting one of these starters for Joe Blanton really that much of an upgrade anyway? Sure Bard is having control problems but in three of his starts the offense has scored 3 runs or less.  Both Bard and Doubront have shown great promise this season and appear to have their starting jobs locked down, barring a string of outings in which they serve up batting practice.

Yes, Youkilis is banged up and I realize that to get a decent return in a trade he needs some playing time to get his numbers up to a respectable level.  Will Middlebrooks will be the victim of this and likely be headed back to triple-A, giving Youk the time he needs to re-establish his threatening presence at the plate.

But let’s say the club struggles to keep pace in the division by the July trading deadline, making a Youkilis deal an almost necessity.  At that point if the season is all but lost, trading Youkilis for prospects makes a lot more sense than for a 31-year old pitcher who is eligible for free-agency at the end of the year.

If the club is in contention, which I fully expect them to be, Joe Blanton may not be the answer for a stretch run either. While he does have 10 starts in the postseason, a guy like Gavin Floyd, Matt Garza or even Cole Hamels, who would require more than Kevin Youkilis, is a better name to have to be able to trust on the mound late in the season.

That’s just me, what do you think?  Should the Red Sox look at trading for Joe Blanton if and when Kevin Youkilis is made available?

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May 07, 2012; Kansas City, MO, USA; Boston Red Sox third baseman Will Middlebrooks (64) is congratulated first baseman Adrian Gonzalez (28) after Middlebrooks hit a home run in the first inning of the game against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-US PRESSWIRE

Today Kevin Youkilis starts his minor league rehab assignment, start the countdown. *Cue Europe*. Since the day  Will Middlebrooks got called up, I’ve been talking about trading Kevin Youkilis. The reality is, he probably won’t get dealt. The most likely option is Middlebrooks gets moved to the bench or send down to Pawtucket. 

 

Another option is Youkilis backing up 3rd, 1st, and DH. Giving Gonzalez and Ortiz a day off a week and Youkilis and Middlebrooks splitting the rest of the time at 3rd. Taking Ortiz or Gonzalez out of the lineup, even only once a week, is not a solution.

My real question is, why not Middlebrooks in the outfield? I know that he’s never played in the outfield in his professional career, but hear me out. For the sake of the argument, let’s say that Middlebrooks would roam left with the speedier Crawford moving to right once he gets back. Crawford has never played right but he’s one of the better fielding left fielders in the game, he can figure it out. First of all, the best years in Red Sox history had Manny Ramirez roaming left field. Do we really think Middlebrooks isn’t a better fielder than Manny? When he’s in Fenway, the monster has his back. That will help the adjustment period.

There are other recent players that have made the switch from third base to the outfield, specifically Ryan Braun and Miguel Cabrera. Did it hurt their development?

Ryan Braun, possibly the best left fielder in the game, played his entire minor league career and his rookie season (Rookie of the Year) at third. That next year he played his entire season in left field. So granted Braun had the offseason to work on it, but he didn’t miss a beat. Braun’s first year in left field was his worst average in his career (.285) but it was the most home runs he’s ever hit (37). Moving to left field didn’t hurt Braun’s development. Braun was 24-years old his first season in left, Middlebrooks is currently 23.

Miguel Cabrera is a different story. He played his entire minor league career in the infield, except for 3 games which is he played in his final season at AA. He played the other 64 at third that year. It seems like so long ago, by date and size, that Cabrera was a 17-year old shortstop in the Marlins system. His rookie year, at the age of 20, Cabrera came up as a third baseman. Cabrera played 34 games at third but finished the year as the Marlins’ left fielder. Cabrera played 55 games in left that year. And oh yeah, the Marlins defeated the Yankees in the World Series that season. The next year Cabrera played his entire season in the outfield, 158 games (100 in right). At 21 years old Miguel Cabrera was the starting right fielder for the Marlins, hitting .294 with 33 home runs. Since then Cabrera has gone to first and now back to third with the Tigers.

Braun and Cabrera are two of the best players in the game and their move to the outfield didn’t seem to hamper their development. So if Youkilis is going to be the starting third baseman, I’d rather see Middlebrooks in the outfield than not on the team and not in the lineup. This team needs a boost and maybe Middlebrooks is exactly what they need? He could still backup third when Youk, Gonzalez, or Ortiz need a game off and Ross and Sweeney can get into the lineup. But at this point, it would be crazy to sit Middlebrooks down.

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