The Boston Red Sox have reportedly inquired about Julio Teheran and Arodys Vizcaino from the Atlanta Braves.
Two birds, one stone.
That’s the philosophy that the Boston Red Sox aimed to take when they made a call to the Atlanta Braves about two pitchers that would shore up holes in their rotation and bullpen. Boston needs a starter and a reliever, while Atlanta happens to have one of each that interest them.
According to ESPN’s Jim Bowden, the Red Sox have inquired about both starter Julio Teheran and closer Arodys Vizcaino from the Braves.
While Bowden cautioned that there was no traction yet on any potential trade, he points out that the Red Sox and Braves match up well for a potential blockbuster deal. Boston is fighting for the division title, but needs to improve their pitching in order to become a serious contender. Atlanta is already 17.5 games back in their division, so it’s time for them to look toward the future.
Red Sox have inquired about both Julio Teheran and Arodys Vizcaino from the Atlanta Braves. However, there is no... https://t.co/1mUiafpuAB
— Jim Bowden⚾️🏈 (@JimBowdenGM) June 24, 2016
Teheran’s 3-7 record is hardly an accurate reading of his performance and more of a reflection of the pitiful team around him. The right-hander is having a career year, ranking 10th in the National League with a 2.66 ERA and 2nd with a 0.91 WHIP. Teheran hasn’t been known as a dominant strikeout pitcher throughout his career, but his career-high 8.45 K/9 rate is good enough to put him in the top 20 in the league, as is his 3.83 K/BB ratio.
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Vizcaino inherited the closer role back in April and has converted 9 of 11 chances this season. The low save total can be forgiven when you consider Atlanta only has 25 wins this season. Besides, it’s not as if the Red Sox are interested in him as their closer anyway. However, he would make an excellent setup man that would ease the pressure on the struggling Koji Uehara and Junichi Tazawa. Vizcaino owns a 2.01 ERA and has struck out 44 batters in 33.1 innings this season, fitting the profile of the power arm this Red Sox bullpen needs in late inning situations ahead of Craig Kimbrel.
As much sense as a deal between the two teams makes on paper, Braves GM John Coppolella claims that he doesn’t see the team trading away Teheran. Of course this could merely be posturing in an attempt to hold out for the best offer, or a way to avoid upsetting fans, or the player himself, by admitting Teheran is on the trading block, only for the deal to fall through.
If the Braves were to entertain an offer from Boston, expect it to take a massive haul. Any deal involving Teheran would likely cost Yoan Moncada and/or Andrew Benintendi, both of whom the Red Sox would be reluctant to part with. That would merely be a starting point, with other assets bound to be included, which could push the price outside of a territory Boston is comfortable with. At least adding Vizcaino in the deal sweetens it enough to make surrendering a top prospect slightly more palatable.
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It also helps that both Teheran and Vizcaino aren’t short-term rentals. Teheran is making a mere $3.46 million in 2016 and is owed about $25 million over the next three seasons before a $12 million team option in 2020. That’s a steal for a pitcher that could slot in as the No. 2 starter in this rotation. Vizcaino is making peanuts in his first year of arbitration and would be under team control through 2019.
If the Red Sox are going to give up some of their best prospects to improve the pitching staff then it better be to acquire players that they can control for several years beyond 2016, which is part of what makes a deal with Atlanta so appealing. For the rebuilding Braves, it may take them a few years to climb back into contention, by which point these young pitchers may be ready to bolt.
Pulling off a trade in Major League Baseball is never easy, so making multiple moves to address the numerous issues with the Red Sox pitching staff would be a daunting task for Dave Dombrowski. If he could tackle two of the team’s biggest needs in one fell swoop, it sure would make his job a lot easier.
He may be thinking of the last place Braves in the same way that you think about shopping at Target – a one stop spot for all your shopping needs.