Red Sox may deal pitching to fill other needs
Addition of Price could make another rotation arm available
BOSTON -- The imminent addition of David Price could enable the Red Sox to off-load a piece from their rotation to help fill another need on the club or serve as a gateway to restock the farm system.
Price -- who will join the Red Sox on a seven-year, $217 million contract according to an MLB.com source pending a physical -- will front a rotation that could also include Clay Buchholz, Rick Porcello, Joe Kelly, Eduardo Rodriguez, Wade Miley, Brian Johnson and Henry Owens.
• Price, Red Sox agree to 7-year, $217M deal
The oft-injured Buchholz is a No. 2 starter on a very affordable contract ($13 million for 2016 and a club option at that price in '17). If Buchholz stays healthy, the Red Sox should get a lot of bang for their buck from the righty. Of course, that contract could also be attractive to another team in need of some rotation help.
Kelly, who will probably make roughly $3 million in his first arbitration-eligible season, could be a real nice find for a National League team and his strong finish in '15 helps his value.
Miley, an innings-eating lefty, has a club-friendly contract that pays him $6 million in 2016, followed by $8.75 million in '17 and a reasonable club option for $12 million in '18.
Owens showed some encouraging signs when given the chance to start late in the 2015 season, and young lefties are always attractive to a variety of suitors. Johnson had elbow woes late in the season, so he will likely have to show he's healthy before another team would be compelled to trade for him. The Red Sox would also like more time to take stock in what they have with Johnson before off-loading him.
Porcello is all but certain to remain in Boston, given that he struggled for much of last season and is owed $62 million over the next three seasons.
Rodriguez is a power lefty who the Red Sox can envision being an ace at some point, and there's hardly any scenario in which he gets traded.