There's some good news for Boston Red Sox fans: their best starter, Clay Buchholz, had his team option picked up on Tuesday. And then there's the bad news: rumors suggest team president Dave Dombrowski may look to trade the right-hander.
Various rumors and speculation have focused on Buchholz ever since he went down with an elbow injury in July. He spent the rest of the 2015 MLB season on the shelf and it was unknown if the Red Sox were going to exercise his $13 million option for 2016 because of his inconsistency and health issues over the years.
Despite those concerns, it's been said there would still be suitors for the right-hander on the trade market, which could be a reason why Dombrowski kept him on board for 2016. Buchholz also has another $13.5 million team option for 2017 and that makes him an even more attractive trade piece because another club won't be forced to pay him without seeing how he performs in 2016 (if he were to be moved).
"'Everyone is aware of his history, and the potential that he won't make 80 percent of his starts,' said an American League general manager, 'but for the price, a lot of teams will make inquiries to Boston about him,'" writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.
"'Everyone knows the frustration level he brings, but we all know how good he can be also. He's reaching that age where he's learned how to pitch. Sometimes a player or pitcher gets a lot of injuries in the first half of their careers because they haven't figured out what they need to do to stay healthy. There's always the hope that Buchholz figures that all out.'
"'If he can, he's as good as anyone out there.'"
The Red Sox have a lot of starting pitching, but still managed to finish at the bottom of the MLB in starters' ERA. They possessed perhaps the worst rotation during the first couple months of the season, which resulted in the dismissal of then-pitching coach Juan Nieves in May. Although the unit improved under Nieves' successor, Carl Willis, there is still one glaring issue that Dombrowski needs to address.
"While Boston still lacks the kind of starter who can front a rotation, it does possess an impressive amount of depth," writes Timothy Britton of the Providence Journal. "As currently constituted, the Red Sox have Buchholz, Rick Porcello, Wade Miley, Eduardo Rodriguez, Henry Owens and Joe Kelly as returning starters. Brian Johnson lingers in Triple-A as a potential piece to the puzzle as well.
"That means Boston is likely to explore moving a starting pitcher this winter, especially should it succeed in landing a top-line starter."
Aside from Eduardo Rodriguez, who Boston is likely unwilling to trade, the two pitchers with the most value are probably Buchholz and Miley. Buchholz has proven he's capable of performing at the MLB level despite lapses in consistency and Miley is a solid arm under a team-friendly contract ($15 million through 2017 with a $12 million team option for 2018).
Dombrowski said he plans to bolster the starting rotation, although it's not clear in what manner. The free agent market is littered with top talent, but the prices for those arms will likely be prohibitive. Instead, the new president could look on the trade market because the Red Sox have plentiful MLB and minor-league talent to deal and get a favorable return.
Buchholz, whether fans like it or not, remains one of those trade chips and there's a chance he is moved this offseason.
