The Boston Red Sox are always looking to add pitching depth and this Spring is no exception. Chad Durbin, a 33-year old righty who spent the past 3 seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies, has sparked the Red Sox interest according to Peter Gammons on twitter. The Sox have been in the market for a major-league starter that can wait in the wings in case an injury arises with the current rotation. The only issue with Durbin at this point is his desire to re-sign with the Phillies and according to Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Reporter, the Phillies pulled their major-league offer a few weeks ago, but Durbin would accept a minor-league deal from the Phillies to stay. The Sox appear to have made an offer for Durbin to be a starter, but since it is probably a minor-league deal, it is all up to the Phillies.
Durbin would bring a lot of experience to the table for the Sox. He has pitched in at least parts of 11 seasons in the majors and over the past 5 years, has posted a 3.98 era in 19 starts and 214 relief appearances. His versatility is something the Red Sox like, but they feel he would be most helpful as a spot or replacement-starter when the team needed him. He could play a long-relief role in the bullpen, especially if the Sox choose to use Tim Wakefield as more of a 1 inning guy in the middle of games. When July and August role around, having a guy that can step in and spell the starters for a bit can be extremely valuable, because the Sox need all 5 of their guys rested and ready for the post-season if the team is lucky/good enough to get there.
I’m not sure how likely this deal is, given he would take a minor league deal in Philly over every where else, but it never hurts to kick the tires a bit and see what is available to add depth. The Sox starting rotation is locked-in barring injury, but as we saw last year, nothing is certain and injuries can come at any time, to anyone.