To be honest with you, I'm sick of hearing about the Red Sox-Phillies trade rumors regarding Cole Hamels. I think we should take a look at other teams the Red Sox could explore a trade with, including the Cincinnati Reds and Washington Nationals.
With the addition of Pablo Sandoval and Hanley Ramirez, the Red Sox have one of the most complete lineups in the MLB. However, they still have glaring issues in the starting rotation, which is why they're tirelessly trying to sign Jon Lester in free agency and/or acquire Cole Hamels in a trade. But these are not the only options Boston is limited to.
The Cincinnati Reds could be a beneficial trade partner. With four starting pitchers heading into free agency after the 2015 season (Johnny Cueto, Mat Latos, Mike Leake and Alfredo Simon), the Reds could be the subject of incessant trade talks once the winter meetings begin on December 7. If Boston is looking for an ace (regardless of whether it's a lefty or a righty), then exploring a trade for Cueto is likely to be much less costly than one would be for Hamels. The Reds picked up Cueto's $10 million option for 2015 with one of two ideas in mind: they're either all-in with their starting rotation or there's going to be a fire sale if the team underperforms again.
With that being said, the Reds can still trade at least one of these pitchers (although Cueto would yield the biggest return) to get value at other positions without dismantling the entire staff. The Reds are in serious need of corner outfielders (since they're talking about trading Jay Bruce) as well as a shortstop - two things the Boston Red Sox have a surplus of. It helps Cincinnati even more that Cueto had a career year in 2014, during which he posted a 20-9 record with a 2.25 ERA and 0.96 WHIP in 34 starts.
Right now it's unclear how Boston will utilize Hanley Ramirez, but if he plays shortstop then the Reds can target Xander Bogaerts to be included in a package deal or even prospect Deven Marrero. If Ramirez plays left field, the Reds can ask for Mookie Betts, who was moved to the outfield because his primary position is currently taken by Dustin Pedroia. Cincinnati can put Betts in the outfield in the meantime and perhaps look to trade Brandon Phillips, who is owed $39 million over the next three seasons. Yoenis Cespedes can be an option for left field as well if they opt to keep Bruce, which would create a fairly solid outfield that also includes center fielder Billy Hamilton.
Since Boston is also in need of depth in the starting rotation, it wouldn't be a bad idea if they looked to trade for Latos, Leake or Simon to begin restructuring. It doesn't have to necessarily begin with the acquisition of a No. 1 starter.
The Washington Nationals provide fewer options, but they should be considered nonetheless. Starters Jordan Zimmermann and Doug Fister will be free agents after the 2015 and the team said the two are available to be acquired in a trade. However, the return for either of these right-handers would need to impress general manager Mike Rizzo, sources say.
But if we look at the middle infield of the Nationals, the team could be facing serious issues beyond this year. Shortstop Ian Desmond will be a free agent after next season and he declined the team's $90 million extension last offseason. Second baseman Danny Espinosa is no answer for the future and was replaced by Asdrubal Cabrera at the trade deadline. Cabrera is now a free agent and the second base position is a concern. Well, again, the Red Sox have Betts, Bogaerts and Marrero that the Nats could go after in a trade. Prospect second baseman Sean Coyle could be an option as well.
Zimmermann rejected a number of extensions the Nationals have offered him and Fister is arbitration-eligible so he'll likely seek a longer-term deal after this season. The probability of these two becoming free agents is so great that the Nationals should (and likely are) exploring options to get value for one or both of them before the season ends. Although Zimmermann (57-40 with a 3.24 ERA in career) and Fister (60-56 with a 3.34 ERA) aren't necessarily household names that many would consider an ace, they've had good careers and have proven they can handle the pressure, especially in 2014.
Washington can afford to part ways with either of these two because they have some top pitching prospects in Lucas Giolito and A.J. Cole, who should be making their MLB debuts in the next season or two. Starters Stephen Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez and Tanner Roark are under club control for at least the next three seasons, so the rotation will still be above average sans Zimmermann and/or Fister.
Hopefully we can start the chatter about a Red Sox trade with another team because I'm sure we've all had enough of the speculation with the Phillies.
