Red Sox: 5 starting pitchers to target in pursuit of depth

The Boston Red Sox starting rotation has gone from a major asset to a source of anxiety over the last month.

The Red Sox entered camp with six starters and five spots, headlined by the trio of Rick Porcello, Chris Sale, and David Price. Alongside all-stars Drew Pomeranz and Steven Wright, as well as the emerging Eduardo Rodriguez, they were supposed to have the best rotation in baseball. With less than two weeks left until the start of the regular season, the outlook has changed completely.

They still have Porcello and Sale anchoring the rotation, but Price is expected to miss the first month of the season and Pomeranz left his most recent start with triceps tightness in his throwing arm. Manager John Farrell has acknowledged that the team is at least slightly concerned that they have just four totally healthy starters this close to Opening Day.

His admission that the Red Sox are looking for help was framed as a response to the inconsistency displayed by Henry Owens and Brian Johnson, the next in line to receive a call-up. That argument only carries so much weight, though. The team could turn to Kyle Kendrick, a 32-year old reclamation project that his enjoyed a stellar spring. He has a 1.96 ERA with 20 strikeouts and 4 walks in 23 innings pitched.

But Kendrick hasn’t thrown a pitch in a big league uniform since 2015 and carries a career 4.63 ERA in 1,281 innings pitched. Expecting a 23 inning, Spring Training, sample size to counter-act a career’s worth of evidence would be foolish.

Hence, it’s no stretch of the imagination suspect that the Red Sox are interested in acquiring some help with their rotation. They don’t have any trustworthy replacement options at AAA and even if Pomeranz is healthy to start the year, they’re just one injury away from facing a real crisis.

This is, of course, pure speculation, but there are a number of veteran starters, whether available through trade or free agency, that could prove intriguing to Dave Dombrowski and co. The following is a list of players that are worth keeping an eye on as Spring Training progresses.

Doug Fister

There was a time when Fister was one of the most underrated pitchers in baseball. Between 2011-2014, he averaged 188 IP, 135 strikeouts, just 36 walks, a 3.11 ERA, and 129 ERA+. Despite those numbers, he never made an all-star team and appeared on the Cy Young ballot just once, finishing eighth in 2014.

He played for the Houston Astros last season, after signing a one-year $7 million deal. In 180.1 innings, he posted a 4.64 ERA, 1.425 WHIP, 5.7 K/9 and allowed 24 home runs. Once a control artist, Fister struggled with a BB/9 of 3.1, a career high. He’s never been the type to strikeout a lot of batters, so his increased walk rate and newfound proclivity to give up homers have made him a long-shot to land on a major league roster.

Nevertheless, his career track record could prove enticing to the Red Sox. His recent struggles stand out when compared to his overall big league experience and he wouldn’t command anything more than a one-year deal. Of anyone free-agent starter available, he likely has the highest ceiling.

Henderson Alvarez

Alvarez was an all-star only two years ago but has since seen his career fall apart before his eyes due to injury. The right-hander compiled a 2.65 ERA with 111 strikeouts in 30 starts for the Miami Marlins in 2014. He also collected three complete game shutouts and finished 12th in National League Cy Young voting. Since then, he’s dealt with a flurry of injuries that have put his major league future in jeopardy.

He underwent season-ending shoulder surgery after making just four starts for the Marlins in 2015 and was later non-tendered and declared a free agent. After signing with the Athletics last season, he pitched just 33 minor league innings before undergoing another shoulder surgery. He then opted for free agency after being outrighted to AAA.

There is obviously a ton of inherent risk when dealing with a pitcher that has chronic shoulder ailments. For a team dealing with so many health concerns in their rotation, Alvarez probably isn’t the best candidate to provide stable innings if called upon. But at 26, he still has the potential to regain some of the skill that made him one of the better young pitchers in baseball only two years ago.

He also threw a bullpen session for scouts in late February and is expected to land a minor league deal at some point down the line.

Colby Lewis

Lewis is 38 and approaching the end of his career, but when healthy he was effective for the Texas Rangers last season. He only made 19 starts, hitting the 60-day DL at the end of June with a right lat strain. When he returned, the results were far from encouraging. In four starts to end the season, he allowed 17 runs on 22 hits and nine walks in 18.1 innings pitched.

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Overall, he was able to compile a respectable 3.71 ERA, but he hasn’t struck out more than 7 batters per nine innings pitched since 2012 and is susceptible to the long ball. However, he’s enjoyed more recent success than any of the aforementioned pitchers on this list.

That success could also preclude the Red Sox from making a push for him. MLB Trade Rumors reports that Lewis is unwilling to accept a minor league deal and will only sign if guaranteed a spot on a team’s major league roster. Should the Red Sox sign him, they would have to remove a player from their 40-man roster to make space.

Erasmo Ramirez

It’s not clear how likely of a scenario this is, but the Tampa Bay Rays are reportedly looking to deal from their starting pitcher depth before the season starts. They recently moved second baseman Logan Forsythe to the Los Angeles Dodgers for pitching prospect Jose De Leon.

The most likely pitcher to be traded, as reported by Mark Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, is Erasmo Ramirez. At 26, he’s owed just $3.2 million and still has two years of arbitration control remaining. Since coming over to the Rays from the Seattle Mariners, he’s put together a 3.76 ERA, 1.185 WHIP and 6.7 K/9 in 254 innings pitched. He spent the bulk of 2015 as a starting pitcher in 2015 but made 63 of his 64 appearances as a reliever last season, going 7-11 with two saves and a 3.77 ERA in 90.2 innings pitched.

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That versatility would be the biggest selling point for the Red Sox. They aren’t in the market for a starting pitcher that can carry a 200-inning load, just a guy that they can rely upon until their rotation is back to full health. Ramirez represents a solid option to slot into the back end of the order while David Price recovers, then transition to the bullpen as needed.