Red Sox: Trading for a starter may not be realistic
By Sean Penney
The Minnesota Twins? Take a look at their rotation and let me know which pitcher you’d actually want to wear a Red sox uniform. None of them have an ERA below 4.64, making them the worst starting staff in baseball.
The Tampa Bay Rays have a number of talented starters that are having poor seasons. Do you want to take the chance that a change of scenery is all they need to turn things around this season? That’s assuming that they are even willing to deal any of their young, cost-controlled starters within the division. Chris Archer‘s double-digit strikeout rate is still appealing, but his bloated 4.70 ERA won’t stop the Rays from asking for a king’s ransom in return. He’s also allowing an average of one home run per start, despite playing in a pitcher’s park. I wouldn’t pay his 2015 price if he’s going to continue to deliver 2016 results.
The Los Angeles Angels don’t have any starters to get overly excited about. Nick Tropeano sports an appealing 3.25 ERA, but he’s allowing an .818 OPS to opposing hitters and has coughed up 8 homers in 10 starts. The 25-year old is also cheap and under control until 2022, so there’s no reason for the Angels to trade him unless a team is willing to blow them away with an offer they can’t refuse. Besides, any team that has Mike Trout in the lineup shouldn’t be giving up on the season already.
The Oakland A’s could be an option, but we would need to wait for Rich Hill to return from his stint on the disabled list before considering a move to bring him back to Boston. Sonny Gray‘s name has been floated in the rumor mill all year, but his struggles this season have diminished his value to the point where Oakland would be better off keeping him in hopes that he’ll increase his value with a strong second half. Gray has posted a solid 3.23 ERA over his last 5 starts this month, signaling a possible return to form after a horrendous May.
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