Remember when trade rumors engulfed the Boston Red Sox and Cole Hamels for nearly the entire offseason? After an inauspicious start to 2015 it seemed as if such endeavors for Boston were unthinkable, but a recent surge may suggest otherwise.
The Red Sox are 13-7 in their last 20 games and have improved to 40-45. No, it's not an impressive record, but the tight AL East race has them only five games out of first place behind the New York Yankees.
There were rumors the team might consider moving right-hander Clay Buchholz, but they were immediately shot down by sources within the organization. Buchholz can remain with the team through 2017 and his recent resurgence has kept the Red Sox on track, which could now make them buyers at the deadline.
"The Red Sox, from what I'm told, if they continue to play well, will be in the market for a rental starting pitcher at some point," ESPN Insider Buster Olney said on the Baseball Tonight Podcast.
Olney and his guest, Tim Kurkjian, were talking about the potential trade destinations for Cincinnati Reds' right-hander Johnny Cueto, who will be a free agent after the season. He's likely to be traded because the Reds continue to fall further out of contention and they won't be able to afford Cueto as the price for starting pitchers has witnessed an unprecedented increase in recent years.
Cueto has been one of the top pitchers over the past couple of seasons.
ESPN Insider Jim Bowden also agrees with the notion that the Red Sox may go after a starter.
"The Red Sox's focus is to improve the top of their starting rotation, not just for this year but for the next few years as well," he wrote. "They still are the best fit for a Hamels trade, but according to sources, they've never been even close to a trade for him. They have a deep, strong farm system, and thus plenty of trade chips to get something done."
Luckily for Boston, the trade market has yet to materialize, so general manager Ben Cherington has some time to assess the biggest needs for the ball club (hint: it's the starting rotation) and see what players might be made available. No team has made it clear they would be sellers - including the Red Sox, who haven't committed to buying or selling.
If they were to buy, it's clear they need some help among the pitching staff (starters and relievers) and at the first base position (due to Mike Napoli's struggles). Boston's team ERA ranks at the bottom of the MLB (28th) and their starter's ERA isn't too far behind (27th), which is something that needs to be fixed if they hope to stay intact down the stretch.
However, it all depends on how the next few weeks unfold.
"Nobody knows what the Red Sox are going to do because they don't know what they're going to do," said one NL executive told Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.
We'll know for certain on July 31.
