Red Sox: Five affordable free agent starting pitcher targets
By Max Bozicas
Jordan Lyles
Jordan Lyles is perhaps the most intriguing option on this list considering his second half of the year. He started the season with the Pittsburgh Pirates and he was not very good, posting a 5.36 ERA, 9.6 H/9, 1.7 HR/9, 3.6 BB/9, 9.8 SO/9 and a 1.470 WHIP in 17 starts before being traded to the Brewers.
In Milwaukee, he pitched extremely well, with just a 2.45 ERA, 6.6 H/9, 1.4 HR/9, 3.4 BB/9, 8.6 SO/9, and a 1.108 WHIP.
To put that into perspective, a 2.45 ERA over the span of the entire season would have ranked third among all pitchers. A 6.6 H/9 would have ranked sixth. Lyles was in pretty good company during the second half of the season.
Unfortunately, being really good usually means a lot more when there’s a larger sample size. That stat line came in just 11 starts for the Brewers, but with that said it’s not worth completely dismissing. Lyles could be interested in taking a one year, “prove it” type of deal in an effort to showcase that he can perform like that on a regular basis. If that is the case, the Red Sox might as well jump on it if the price is right.
Lyles’ experience as both a starter and a reliever is very valuable. Plus, he is one of the only available options under the age of 30 that Boston might be able to afford.
Next. Jon Gray a potential trade target for Red Sox. dark
If Lyles proves to be a fluke it wouldn’t bite the Red Sox too badly assuming the deal isn’t expensive. However, if he pitches even remotely close to the way he did in the back half of 2019, then they could be getting a serious bargain.