Red Sox: Starting pitcher trade targets
By Sean Penney
The 27-year old lefty is having a sensational breakout season in his first year with the San Diego Padres, posting a dazzling 1.70 ERA that ranks second in the majors. Take his early career numbers with a grain of salt, as he was pushed to the big leagues at the tender age of 22 and into the worst environment a young pitcher can find in Coors Field. Pomeranz also bounced between the rotation and bullpen the last few years, but now that he’s locked in as a starter he seems to be coming into his own.
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Granted pitching in San Diego’s Petco Park isn’t quite the same as pitching in Fenway, but striking out 10.2 batters per nine innings negates many of those concerns. Pomeranz also has a 2.04 ERA on the road this year, so his success isn’t merely a product of a pitcher-friendly home stadium.
The one red flag with Pomeranz is his 4.2 BB/9 rate, which ranks near the bottom of the league. Walks will come back to bite you facing the deeper lineups in the AL, especially since that 0.5 HR/9 rate isn’t likely sustainable with a change in scenery.
Pomeranz is signed to a cheap $1.35 million deal for this season and has two more years of arbitration after that. The last place Padres are rumored to be open-minded about trading anyone on their roster and the Red Sox have already made a mutually beneficial deal with them when they acquired Craig Kimbrel. Does Dave Dombrowski go back to the well for more pitching help?
Next: Julio Teheran