Trade deadline preview: Boston Red Sox starting pitching conundrum

With the MLB trade deadline a little over a month away, the Boston Red Sox are looking for ways to keep pace with their American League rivals.

The middle of summer is approaching, and with that comes the MLB trade deadline. By July 31, every squad must execute the necessary moves needed to make a push for October baseball. For many, only subtle changes come to mind (i.e. the Yankees or Astros). For others, a total rebuild is crucial (i.e. Mets). In the Boston Red Sox’s case, big acquisitions aren’t imperative. Regardless, there are a couple of newsworthy decisions GM Dave Dombrowski may consider. Here, we look at Boston’s starting rotation.

An impressive rotation

Surprisingly, the Sox’s starting pitching continues to be impressive. Dombrowski and manager Alex Cora are ecstatic with the progress of perennial fourth starter Eduardo Rodriguez. According to Baseball-Reference, the fourth-year player is 9-1 with a career-best 3.59 ERA. In fact, Rodriguez has only reached ten wins once in his career. It’s not even July, and the lefty is on the verge of already breaking that barrier.

Boston’s pitching in general is having an exceptional year. According to ESPN, the Sox are fifth in the league in ERA right now, with a 3.45. Chris Sale and Rick Porcello are spearheading the blossoming rotation. Even David Price is bouncing back from a horrid start to the year, where he had a 5 plus ERA at the beginning of May. that has now dropped to under 4.

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However, the two teams who faced off in the ALCS last year still have the first and third best pitching staffs collectively (the New York Yankees and Houston Astros). Unfortunately, that’s bad news for the Sox, because the Yankees don’t have a viable second starter. Even more startling, New York continues to show interest in Mets’ star, Jacob DeGrom.

Dombrowski’s options

Dombrowski either has two options here. Make a move to keep up with their division rivals, or stay put. Yes, Cora has a playoff-ready staff right now, but Boston is also notorious for falling apart in the second half. Sale was not nearly as good in September of 2017 as he was the other five months. The front-end guy ran out of steam, going from a 1.07 ERA in July, to a 4.08, and then a 3.7 in August and September, according to Baseball-Reference. His workload did increase over those last two months (34 innings pitched to 37 innings pitched), so Cora may need to stagnate his innings to keep him healthy for the postseason.

Steven Wright had the same fate a couple years ago, where he went from an All-Star, to a mediocre middle-of-the-pack knuckleballer by the final month.

Other big names such as JA Happ, Cole Hamels, and Tyson Ross continue to be linked to the Yanks. They have the perfect scenario too, with a young team and powerful hitting in a big-time city. Who doesn’t want that?

Despite a rough start against Detroit, Jalen Beeks may become a decent fifth option if need be for the Sox, especially when the end of the regular season approaches. As expressed in William Hyland’s article, Beeks was an eight-strikeout per start guy in the minors this season. With the right development, Beeks could jumpstart his career at any moment.

Dombrowski should trust his starters

Honestly, Dombrowski must not search for starting pitching. The only fix they need to worry about compared to last year is lessening the workload for October. The four-man rotation remains viable and a force to be reckoned with. If they can continue this past the All-Star break, there’s no need to panic.

Next: Rafael Devers should not be included in any trades

If the starting crew can maintain their rise to prominence, then this could be the Boston Red Sox’s year. No need to screw it up now.

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