The Boston Red Sox need pitching. The Cleveland Indians need hitting. Will the MLB clubs aggressively pursue a trade with one another as recent rumors found the two sides met at the general managers meetings?
We keep hearing all the trade rumors about the Red Sox going after Matt Harvey, Chris Sale, Sonny Gray and other top names. But it'd help to think more outside the box considering those three players remain integral aspects of their teams' futures and will cost an exorbitant amount in any deal.
Boston could also still sign a high-profile free agent, but the organization has a wealth of assets it could trade as opposed to spending $150 million or more for one pitcher. And they could still get a pitcher of similar caliber.
"If we were to offer odds at this moment as to how the Red Sox were going to find this ace, the favorite would still seem to be via a trade," writes Rob Bradford of WEEI.com. "And perhaps the leading candidate to serve as a trade partner is Cleveland, which was one of the teams the Red Sox met with this week.
"Carlos Carrasco. Danny Salazar. Maybe even Corey Kluber."
"The Indians need bats. They also are looking for young, controllable talent. And the three aforementioned names would fit the bill for what the Red Sox are looking for (albeit not at the Price and Greinke level)."
Carrasco, 28, is under contract through 2018 for $19 million and has a $9 million team option for 2019 and a $9.5 million team option for 2020. He went 14-12 with a 3.63 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 216 strikeouts in 30 starts (183 2/3 innings) in 2015.
Salazar, 25, is under club control through 2020 before he becomes a free agent for the first time. He went 14-10 with a 3.45 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 195 strikeouts in 30 starts (185 innings) in 2015.
Kluber, 29, is one year removed from winning the AL Cy Young award and just signed a five-year, $38.5 million extension before the 2015 season. The deal also has team options for 2020 ($13.5 million) and 2021 ($14 million). He took a step back in 2015, but still finished with a 3.49 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 245 strikeouts in 32 starts (222 innings) even though his record was 9-16.
None of those three pitchers would be cheap in a trade, but Boston possesses a surplus of talent to the point where parting ways with some prospects or even someone on the MLB roster wouldn't affect them much. Acquiring Carrasco, Salazar or Kluber would add to the foundation the Red Sox already have in place (Eduardo Rodriguez, Rick Porcello and Joe Kelly are under contract for at least the next four years too).
Whether that's their plan or not, it's at least a possibility based on Dombrowski's comments from the GM meetings.
"I've had numerous conversations with John - I wouldn't divulge what my conversations are - but we've discussed it quite thoroughly," Dombrowski told Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald. "We haven't eliminated anything at this point."
"We had some more conversations last night and I'm sure we'll follow up on them," Dombrowski added in another piece, via Lauber. "As far as what comes from here, you never can tell. A lot of times you think you're close and you're knocking on the door and it doesn't happen right away."
Whatever talks were initiated this week should materialize over the coming days, weeks and months. The Red Sox could have a new starting pitcher in the near future.
