The Boston Red Sox own the worst overall ERA (5.23) as well as the worst starting rotation ERA (6.03) in Major League Baseball thus far into the season. While it was acknowledged this area would be an issue heading into 2015, the club likely didn't expect it to be this bad.
And still, a trade for Cole Hamels is not atop their list of priorities even though rumors are swirling.
"According to a major league source, the Red Sox have not intensified their pursuit of starting pitchers through trades despite the dismal performance of their rotation to date," writes Alex Speier of the Boston Globe.
General manager Ben Cherington also weighed in on the ailing starting rotation and what he expects after a horrid start to the season.
"We acknowledge the performance of the pitching staff and we know it needs to improve. We still believe it will simply by our pitchers pitching to their capability," he told Speier. "We don't need them to do more than that. We believe if we pitch to our capability we will win games. We're focused on helping the guys that are here now pitch to their capability."
Those starters have come nowhere close to their capabilities. Clay Buchholz is 1-3 with a 5.76 ERA through five starts; Rick Porcello is 1-2 with a 6.48 ERA in four starts; Wade Miley is 1-2 with an 8.62 ERA in four starts; Justin Masterson is 2-0, but sports a 5.16 ERA through his first four starts; and Joe Kelly has perhaps looked the best so far thanks to a 1-0 record and 4.94 ERA in four outings.
No wonder the Red Sox were in trade discussions with the Philadelphia Phillies since last July to work out a deal for Hamels. The problem is that Philadelphia wants Mookie Betts or Blake Swihart in a package for the left-hander, but that's clearly not going to happen.
Regardless of those players being involved, it appears the trade is not going to happen anytime soon as the Red Sox hope to improve their current cast of starters and explore their internal options (if it were to get to that point), which consist of Henry Owens, Eduardo Rodriguez, Brian Johnson, Matt Barnes and others. After all, Buchholz is owed $12 million this season and has team options for the 2016 and 2017 seasons, which the Red Sox could be interested in picking up if he ends up having a strong campaign; they just signed Porcello to a four-year, $82.5 million extension; Miley inked a three-year, $19.25 million deal; and Masterson is earning $9.5 million this year. To jump ship on any of these arms at this point would indicate the team has acknowledged they've made a poor investment.
"Teams are stubborn at this time of the year. They're still holding on to their prospects tightly and hoping that either in-house candidates can solve needs or that the philosophy they started the year with eventually will take hold. It's too early, they say ... They prefer staying the course to change. When there's desperation or urgency, they finally make the move. And that's where we are with a number of teams, including the Red Sox," writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.
However, David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News suggests something could be in the works between the two clubs because Philadelphia will send former manager Charlie Manuel to scout Boston's High Class A minor league team.
"It's no secret that the Phillies covet 23-year-old catcher Blake Swihart, but the amount of time they have spent covering the Red Sox' system suggests that they are considering the preparation of something other than a take-it-or-leave-it offer for Boston's top prospect."
And once again, not much is clear.
