Red Sox Loosely Linked To Pair Of Starters Following Lucas Giolito Injury
The Boston Red Sox appear to be almost solely banking on the youth movement to put together a passable rotation -- leaning heavily on pitching coach Andrew Bailey to get the most out of a budding group of hurlers.
The Red Sox entered the offseason in need of at least two formidable starters. Instead, they traded Chris Sale to the Atlanta Braves for second baseman Vaughn Grissom and signed right-hander Lucas Giolito -- who likely will undergo season-ending surgery.
It was never enough to sign Giolito, injury or not, but they are really in a hole now. Some still believe they'll dive into the surprisingly deep March starting pitching market to solve their problems.
"Lucas Giolito may be out for the year with an elbow issue, yet BoSox watchers say they wouldn’t be surprised if they simply replaced Giolito with a solid innings-eater (Michael Lorenzen and Mike Clevinger remain out there)," the New York Post's Jon Heyman wrote Thursday.
This report aligns with how the rest of the offseason has been -- national media expecting the Red Sox to wake up and do something while the regional reporters would be surprised if principal owner John Henry paid to fill the vending machines around Fort Myers.
Thus far, the regional media members have been proven right, but the two aforementioned arms meet somewhere in the middle as neither will cost much to bring in at this juncture.
Lorenzen posted a 4.18 ERA with a 111-to-47 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .265 batting average against and 1.46 WHIP in 153 innings to earn his first All-Star nod last season. The 32-year-old fell off in the second half post-trade to the Philadelphia Phillies but did plenty to establish himself as a starter.
Clevinger posted a 3.77 ERA with a 110-to-40 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .244 batting average against and a 1.23 WHIP in 131 1/3 innings for the Chicago White Sox in 2023.
Both players carry similar value with Opening Day approaching and appear to be in line for one-year deals, possibly including options. Clevinger has sustained success but there are some character question marks, Lorenzen brings a fiery presence to the mound but is a recently converted reliever with less consistent performance.
Beggars can't be choosers, however, and the Red Sox's on-field play would be improved by either -- or both -- players coming into town. Garrett Whitlock and Tanner Houck are best suited as relievers but the team's lack of firepower is preventing them from landing in optimal roles.
More MLB: Here's Reported Contract Details Of Rising Star Brayan Bello's Notable Extension
