Red Sox Roundup: Trade Rumors, Free Agents & News
It is exactly two weeks to the day until pitchers and catchers report in Fort Meyers, Florida, signalling the start of Spring Training. The Red Sox still have multiple question marks surrounding the pitching staff and despite Ben Cherington stating that it’s unlikely that he’ll add another starter before the start of Spring Training, the club remains tied to multiple starting arms. Let’s have a look at some of the trade rumors and free-agent possibilities that the Red Sox have been linked too lately.
John Lannan – when the Washington Nationals signed Edwin Jackson, it came as no surprise that they were shopping Lannan. He would be a nice option for the Red Sox as the number five guy in the rotation and as Nick Cafardo reports, a center fielder going the other way isn’t a necessity. The Angels are also said to be interested in Lannan and they have Peter Bourjos to dangle in front of the Nationals. Last season Lannan made 33 starts, going 10-13 with a 3.70 ERA and a 1.462 WHIP in 184.2 innings of work. He did throw in 200+ innings two seasons ago, something that is proving to be a credential for a World Series club. More on that tomorrow here on the BSI site.
Roy Oswalt – ahh the topic that never dies. It feels like we’ve been mentioning Oswalt’s name in every second article since the season ended back in September. We know he wants to pitch for either Texas or St. Louis, but both clubs don’t have the room for Oswalt. Now the Phillies and Reds have been said to be interested in Oswalt’s services, but Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports later tweeted that the Reds were only ‘kicking tires’ on the veteran. The Phillies may not be an aggressive suitor for Oswalt as their rotation appears to be set, leaving the Sox as the only club desperately needing his services. One source did say that the Red Sox and Oswalt have mutual interest in each other and the two sides continue to have dialogue. Stay tuned, this thing is far from over.
Matt Garza – after settling on a one-year deal worth $9.5 million and avoiding arbitration, John Paul Morosi reports that one executive told him that he expects Garza to be dealt at the trade deadline in July as opposed to some time during Spring Training. This would likely give Theo Epstein the most leverage as multiple clubs could be lined up at his doorstep with prospect filled packages, something that Epstein has been adamant on receiving for Garza.
Aaron Cook – finally we hear some good news about a player that wants to play in Boston (Mr. Oswalt could take note). Alex Speier of WEEI.com reported that multiple clubs had offered Cook a major league deal but he chose Boston on a minor league deal because he liked the fit better and because he knows pitching coach Bob McClure. When you hear news like this you can’t help but cheer for this guy to make the club.
David Ortiz – the big man is trying his best to leverage out a multi-year deal from the Red Sox in an attempt to avoid arbitration reports Javier Maymi of ESPN Deportes. Last week Ortiz felt that an arbitration hearing was unavoidable, now he’s saying he’d like a deal before the hearing. Hmmm, interesting. Would the Sox be crazy to offer Ortiz a multi-year deal with the possibility of a balanced schedule likely meaning more inter-league play?
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