5 Starters The Red Sox Should Target In Offseason
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Boston Red Sox are in a pretty good situation heading into the winter of 2014-15.
They will have money to spend, plenty of assets to deal away, and a good enough core where they should be able to compete for a playoff spot next season if they add the right parts.
While Boston has a decent collection of young arms making up their rotation right now, what the Red Sox lack going forward is a true ace at the front of the rotation and a decent complement to follow them. They have plenty of players to compete for spots 3-4 in their rotation, but need a couple of arms to lead the way.
The Boston brass has made it clear that they'll be going after a pair of starters over the offseason to make up for what they lost in the Jon Lester and John Lackey trades at the deadline, but what remains unclear is if they'll land those arms via free agency or trade.
Other than Max Scherzer and the record-breaking contract he'll likely sign, nothing should be off the table for the Red Sox when it comes to landing an arm or two this winter. Here are five pitchers that should be on their radar once the 2014 season comes to an end.
Jon Lester
Red Sox fans know what Jon Lester can bring to a team, and though the A's have been in a bit of a tailspin since sending Yoenis Cespedes to Boston for the lefty ace, Lester has pitched great for Oakland. In nine starts since the trade, Lester is 5-3 with a 2.30 ERA and a complete game shutout. Overall he's 15-10 with a 2.45 ERA in 2014.
Most people in Boston know Lester's postseason resume: The two World Series rings, his 2.11 ERA in the playoffs and that amazing 4-1, 1.56 ERA postseason he put together in 2013. The resume is full of impressive numbers and accomplishments, but the question remains whether or not the Red Sox are willing to break the bank -- and their policy on long-term investments -- for Lester.
The southpaw likely won't get Scherzer money, but it'll be close, and if the Red Sox low-balled him when he was under his control, they may not want to get into any bidding wars for their former ace. But it would be a great story to see Lester come back to Boston, and great PR for a team that received a lot of criticism for their handling of the soon-to-be free agent all season long.
James Shields
Boston fans are familiar with "Big Game" James for his days with the Tampa Bay Rays, and he's had two impressive seasons in Kansas City since being traded to the Royals for phenom Wil Meyers prior to the 2013 season.
Shields, who turns 33 in December, is 14-7 with a 3.15 ERA for the Royals -- who are in thick of the Wild Card hunt. He has started 30 or more games each season since 2007, and has 114 career wins to his name.
He's not an ace, and he won't be cheap, but he would fit that No. 2 roll perfectly if the Red Sox can find a front of the rotation elsewhere.
Chris Sale
The Chicago lefty is having a Cy Young-worthy season, going 12-3 with a 1.99 ERA, and won't be a free agent when the season comes to a close.
But there have been rumblings that the White Sox might make the 26-year-old available this winter, and the Red Sox are one of the few teams with enough down on the farm to make a realistic offer. It might require a lot to pry Sale -- who is 44-28 in his three-year career -- from the south side of Chicago, but for a lefty starter entering his prime, it could be worth it.
Cole Hamels
There was a hot rumor around the trade deadline that the Red Sox had set their sights on Hamels, who is under contract for four more years at $96 million. That's not too much more annually than it would take to sign a Lester or Scherzer, but is shorter in length than the deals those two will likely be seeking.
Hamels has had his ups and downs with the Phillies over his nine-year career, and it will likely take a slew of prospects to land his services. But if Boston doesn't want to sign a pitcher for more than four years, Hamels would be a decent option (as long as he can actually pitch in the American League).
Kenta Maeda
The Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo recently reported on Boston's interest in Maeda, who is "considered a smaller version of Masahiro Tanaka." The 26-year-old hurler has a 2.45 career ERA over seven seasons in Japan's Central League, and had success in the 2013 World Baseball Classic, going 2-0 and allowing just two hits, a walk and no earned runs while striking out 15 in 10 innings of work.
The posting fee is going down, so the Red Sox or any team wishing to secure negotiating rights to Maeda won't be the astronomical amounts paid in the past. Also, Maeda is in good company in Japan, becoming the youngest pitcher to win the triple crown in 2010. The last pitcher to accomplish the pitching triple crown was Koji Uehara, who did it in 1999.
Some think Maeda could be penciled in as a No. 2 starter in the majors, but he remains a great unknown at the moment.
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