Red Sox: Chaim Bloom needs to shop free agency for cheap pitching
The Boston Red Sox are in some dire need of pitching help before the 2020 season starts. Free agency could offer that solution and for cheap.
With another proposal coming from the MLB in the near future we might be getting close to some baseball in 2020! That means if all things line up the way that they need to then our beloved Red Sox could be taking the field soon. The only problem with that is that Boston is in some dire need of starting pitching for the second year in a row, but this time the issue is greater.
Last year, fans chimed all season long for Dave Dombrowski and the Red Sox to add some fresh arms to the rotation as well as the bullpen. Well, as we know, that didn’t really happen to the degree it needed to and now we’re in even deeper water for 2020. If this was an issue before, now that Chris Sale is hurt and David Price and Rick Porcello are gone, the iceberg is about to strike the Titanic.
So, what do the Red Sox do? Are there some viable options already on the roster, sure. Guys like Marcus Walden and Brian Johnson can start and eat the inning necessary to get to the bullpen. Moving them to the rotation would also free up spots for reliever callups, adding fresh arms to the 40-Man. But that can only go so far and this means the next viable route would be going shopping.
I won’t lie to you and try and say that the current free-agent class of pitchers is stacked, it’s not. The one thing that the current crop does have is experience, and that’s something that could be a boost for the Red Sox in that department.
As it stands now, Boston only has three actual pitchers that I would qualify as starters in Eduardo Rodriguez, Nathan Eovaldi, and Martin Perez. This leaves two spots in the starting rotation that need to be filled. During spring training it felt like Ryan Weber had locked in that fourth spot but now that things have been shut down for almost three months, who knows if that’s the plan still.
If we’re looking just at starters my eyes go to two arms: Clay Buchholz and Aaron Sanchez. I know that everyone is screaming at their screens at even the mention of Claydro, but hear me out. Instead of bringing in someone that isn’t familiar with the ownership or city sign a guy who was born and bred in the madness.
Other than Andrew Cashner or He Who Shall Not Be Named (Steven Wright), Clay is the easiest signing. Plus he only made $3M last year in Toronto, so a short 1-2 year contract for $5M could get the deal done and allow him to end his career where it started.
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In regards to Sanchez, he’s still got some youth on his side as he’ll be turning 28 this summer and also carries a low salary. Between the Blue Jays and Astros last season he only pulled in $3.9M and that’s been the highest annual salary of his career. It wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility to ink the young righty to a 2-3 year deal that nets him $10-12M. That may seem like a lot but his career numbers: 3.98/589.2/1.363/7.7, could be worth it.
These guys may not seem like the prettiest of options but at this point in the season, the Red Sox need to act and act fast. If the latest proposal comes down from the MLB and the MLBPA agrees to the terms, we’ll be back in business soon. Bloom and company can continue developing the younger pitchers still in the minors while giving a couple short term deals out through free agency to buy them time.
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The shortened season could also afford the Red Sox a chance to make some call-ups to test the prospects as well. Either way, something needs to be done before we start seeing teams take the field. I truly feel a couple of cheaper free agent signings could get the job done in the short-term while allowing Boston the time to develop their arms. Whether or not that’s the route the team goes down will be seen, but that’s where I feel the success will be found.