Written by Liam McGuire at The Comeback
The Boston Red Sox made a huge move yesterday, inking ace starting pitcher David Price to a mammoth seven-year, $217 million deal. The contract will pay Price at least $30 million per season annually as the deal makes him the highest-paid pitcher in MLB history. With the move, the Red Sox have dropped a serious amount of cash for the second straight offseason, factoring in the acquisition of closer Craig Kimbrel. With a surplus of starters, it seems the Sox will try to trade one of them in order to recoup the loss of prospects from the Kimbrel deal.
Boston’s current rotation, as of now, would likely feature Price, Clay Buchholz, Rick Porcello, Wade Miley, Joe Kelly and/or Eduardo Rodriguez.
Buchholz and Porcello are both proven veteran pitchers who could entice other teams.
Buchholz is coming off an injury-plagued season where he only made 18 starts after a strained right elbow caused him to miss mid-July onwards. He did post impressive numbers when he was healthy, going 7-7 with a 1.21 WHIP and a 3.26 ERA, but teams may be afraid to take a chance on him since he’s only made 62 starts over the last three seasons. He’s due to make $13 million in 2016, and has a team option for $13.5 million in 2017. The right-hander is affordable, but it’s a risk to assume he can stay healthy over a full season.
Porcello is coming off a down year, and his four-year, $82.5 million extension takes effect in 2016. The 26-year-old had a 9-15 record with a 4.92 ERA, although his 4.13 FIP suggested he wasn’t getting hit as hard as his numbers indicated. The right-hander doesn’t walk a ton of batters, but gives up a lot of hits. He’s also only reached 200+ innings once in his career. It’s hard to fathom a team willing to take on his enormous contract, unless they’re given salary relief. Porcello has youth on his side, but following a down year, it would be hard for the Red Sox to maximize his value.
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