Red Sox Reportedly ‘Seriously Bidding’ For Premier Starting Pitcher
Will the Boston Red Sox dip back into the free-agent starting pitching market just a couple of weeks after investing in right-hander Lucas Giolito?
Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has been adamant that his priority all offseason has been to bolster the rotation.
It was expected that he’d add at least two starters this winter and could be just a few days away from completing that mission.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72965656/usa_today_21426590.0.jpg?w=640&ssl=1)
“Japanese pitching star Shōta Imanaga has four teams seriously bidding for his services with a Thursday deadline, including the Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs,” USA Today’s Bob Nightengale wrote Sunday.
Imanaga posted a 2.80 ERA with a 174-to-24 strikeout-to-walk ratio and 1.05 WHIP in 148 innings across 22 starts for the Yokohama DeNa Baystars last season. The 30-year-old has a career 3.18 ERA across eight seasons in the Nippon Professional Baseball League.
The southpaw would elevate the floor of Boston’s rotation and allow for swingmen such as Garrett Whitlock and Tanner Houck to settle into full-time multi-inning reliever roles.
Imanaga does come with some concerns, however. His low 90s fastball leaves some to be desired and his high flyball rate could be dangerous with Fenway Park’s Green Monster looming.
Still, the Japanese star is a master of command and deception. He certainly proved that he belonged at the Major League Baseball level when he started against Team USA in the World Baseball Classic Championship and struck out both Paul Goldschmidt and Cedric Mullins across two innings of work.
The Red Sox would be wise to add Imanaga — though they cannot stop there. They still need an impact right-handed bat and have no excuse not to keep spending.
Would the Boston Red Sox trade one of their long-term assets under new chief baseball officer Craig Breslow?
The Red Sox reportedly are contemplating making considerable changes to their outfield, even after swapping out Alex Verdugo for Tyler O’Neill.
It sounds as if the Red Sox are going to make a trade involving Yoshida, it would be financially motivated, which is both stupid and depressing.
Yoshida hit .289 with 51 extra-base hits including 15 home runs, 72 RBIs and a .783 OPS (109 OPS+) in 140 games last season, his first stateside.
The 30-year-old is a poor defender, there’s no way around it. But he still produced plenty to warrant his $18 million average annual value. A shift to the designated hitter role with an acquisition of someone such as Hernández would further increase his production.
