Names such as Carlos Beltran, Jeff Francoeur and Josh Willingham might inspire thoughts of a batting order without any holes, but the reality is Boston’s offense is doing fine regardless. The Red Sox lead baseball in every meaningful offensive category, even while receiving almost nothing from their right fielders.
Amid all the right field talk, the needs in the pitching rotation have all but gone unnoticed. So fearsome on paper on opening day, the starting rotation is dealing with serious or nagging injuries to top hurlers Josh Beckett, Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz.
If the Sox do anything at the trade deadline, they might be better served making a starting pitcher, rather than another position player, their priority.
Now that Josh Reddick is hitting like the second coming of Fred Lynn, and Darnell McDonald is gaining confidence at the plate, the outfield is not as great a concern as it once was. With Crawford holding down left, some combination of Reddick, McDonald and J.D. Drew should be more than sufficient in right. Anything added to that is a luxury.
Another arm could also be a luxury if Buchholz comes back strong, if John Lackey keeps consistency and if Kyle Weiland shows the stuff that made him a solid starter in Triple-A. But by acquiring a back-of-the-rotation starter like Ryan Dempster, Jeremy Guthrie or Ted Lilly, the Sox would erase a lot of “ifs.”
Landing a premier name like Matt Garza, Felix Hernandez or Ubaldo Jimenez may not be realistic; multiple reports have said the Colorado Rockies haven’t even heard a reasonable offer yet for Jimenez.
The Sox aren’t the 2008 Milwaukee Brewers, though. They don’t need a savior like CC Sabathia — they merely need a reliable third or fourth starter to take pressure off the bullpen while their studs get healthy.
Beltran would look great in a Boston uniform, and Francoeur would put plenty of dents in the Green Monster with his pull swing. The Monster’s taken enough damage over the years, though and it might find another arm to be a more welcomed sight.
