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Boston Red Sox Rumors: Time to take a flyer on Dallas Keuchel

By Jason Haskins

HOUSTON, TX - OCTOBER 16: Dallas Keuchel #60 of the Houston Astros reacts in the third inning against the Boston Red Sox during Game Three of the American League Championship Series at Minute Maid Park on October 16, 2018 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TX - OCTOBER 16: Dallas Keuchel #60 of the Houston Astros reacts in the third inning against the Boston Red Sox during Game Three of the American League Championship Series at Minute Maid Park on October 16, 2018 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /
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Battling struggles and now an injury, the starting rotation of the Boston Red Sox could use a boost. And there’s one free agent who could fit right in.

Woes for the Boston Red Sox starting pitchers in 2019 continued on Saturday as Nathan Eovaldi landing on the Injured List with an elbow injury. Early reports indicate surgery might be on the horizon for the righthander.

If Boston hasn’t thought about it already, now might be a good time for them to consider signing free agent Dallas Keuchel.

The fact that Keuchel is even a free agent still is a little astonishing. The former Cy Young Award winner and World Series champion still has plenty to offer a club, even if it isn’t as a front-of-the-rotation guy he has been in the past.

At 31-years old, he has seen a little decline since winning the Cy Young in 2015. Last season, Keuchel posted a 12-11 record with a 3.74 ERA. He made 34 starts, the most of his career, while throwing 204.2 innings. Keuchel’s 153 strikeouts were the second-most of his seven-year career.

Keuchel went 14-5 with a 2.90 ERA in 2017.

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One of the reasons Keuchel has thus far been unsigned might have to do with his asking price is perceived to be to high. But if recent reports are true, Keuchel is willing to take a one-year deal.

The injury to Eovaldi came after he pitched his best game of the season, throwing six innings while only allowing one run to the New York Yankees.

Bringing Keuchel in now is fairly low-risk. If Nathan Eovaldi avoids surgery and the others starters continue to thrive, his signing would only add depth. One downside: a rotation dominated by lefties.

No matter the case, it’s certainly worth taking a look.

Rotation showing some signs of life

Deemed a strength of the club entering the 2019 season, the Boston Red Sox rotation has not found a lot of success early.

Eovaldi, unfortunate injury aside, was one example of the starters beginning to turn things around.

David Price (1-1, 3.79 ERA) has two decent outings under his belt. His last appearance was his best, a seven inning, 3-hit performance against the Baltimore Orioles in which he allowed zero runs.

Eduardo Rodriguez )1-2, 7.20 ERA), with expectations high entering 2019, has shown improvement in his last two starts. He’s pitched 12 innings, allowing 10 hits and 5 earned runs while striking out 14. Rodriguez leads the team with 21 strikeouts.

It’s Chris Sale and Rick Porcello who the Red Sox are still waiting on. The two have combined to go 0-7 this season. Sale has an ERA of 8.50 and his fastball has been torched in every outing. If he can’t find his way and start getting hitters to swing and miss with this pitch, things won’t get better.

Porcello is slated to start Saturday against Tampa Bay, where we’ll find out if he improves on his 11.12 ERA. In his first three starts, Porcello has only pitched a total of 11.1 innings.

Signing Dallas Keuchel makes sense, even if the Red Sox have to take a little bit of a financial hit. This might be a different story if Boston had a winning percentage above or at .500. But with only seven wins, they can’t afford to not sign Keuchel.

Next. Boston Red Sox: 3 goals for David Price in 2019. dark

It’s not time to panic, true, but it might also be time to shake things up. And giving Dallas Keuchel a chance would provide exactly that.

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