Red Sox: Trading for a starter may not be realistic
By Sean Penney
The Boston Red Sox could clearly benefit from an upgrade to their starting rotation, but finding a trade partner may be easier said than done.
We want a pitcher, not a belly itcher.
The childish taunt was a phrase often uttered on the baseball field when I was a kid. Perhaps it’s now outdated, but the sentiment behind it remains relevant to the Boston Red Sox. This team needs pitching.
The Red Sox could use another arm in the bullpen, but the emphasis is on upgrading the starting rotation. Boston’s starters are 19th in the majors with a collective 4.67 ERA, despite being led by a $217 million ace and a breakout performer that currently leads the league in ERA.
The problem isn’t with the front of the rotation, it’s with the back end. The Red Sox have cycled through a number of failed options, giving opportunities to Clay Buchholz, Joe Kelly, Henry Owens and Roenis Elias. All of them have failed miserably, leaving an anxious fan base to wonder when the front office will stop shuffling a deck of full of jokers and deal for another ace.
It seems simple, right? The Red Sox have deep pockets and a farm system flush with appealing prospects that can be used to make a trade for a starting pitcher. So what are they waiting for?
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