Curt Schilling thinks the Boston Red Sox need another arm.
Eduardo Rodriguez rejoined the Red Sox’s rotation Tuesday, giving Boston another potential impact starter alongside David Price, Rick Porcello, Steven Wright and Joe Kelly. It’s clear the Sox still lean heavily on their offense, though, and Schilling explored several ways Wednesday that Boston could improve its rotation before the July 31 Major League Baseball non-waiver trade deadline.
“At the deadline, (the Red Sox) need to go back and grab a starter, and not James Shields. You need to grab somebody that can actually pitch in October,” Schilling said on WEEI’s “Dennis and Callahan.” “I love Julio Teheran in Atlanta. The only reason I say that is because I’ve heard that (the Braves are) very interested in making moves. I love the age, I like the potential. I don’t know how coachable, I don’t know what kind of guy he is.
” … Somebody on Periscope mentioned Rich Hill, which is ironic. But yeah, that could be another one.”
Teheran and Hill are at complete opposite ends of the spectrum, but both pitchers have been tossed around in trade speculation because their respective teams have struggled to this point. It’s reasonable to think both will be dealt before the deadline, though at very different prices.
Teheran is just 25, and he’s under team control through at least 2019 at a very reasonable cost. The right-hander entered Wednesday with a 41-35 record and a 3.37 ERA in 114 career appearances (111 starts). He was an All-Star in 2014, a season in which he went 14-13 with a 2.89 ERA, and he’s been solid for the most part this season, posting a 2.77 ERA in 11 starts.
Hill, on the other hand, is 36 years old and in the midst of a one-year, $6 million contract he signed with the Oakland Athletics before the season. His baseball career had been slipping away until he had a very impressive four-start stint with the Red Sox at the tail end of last season. And now, the veteran left-hander is enjoying a good season with the A’s, going 8-3 with a 2.25 ERA through 11 starts.
The fact that Teheran and Hill are two of the names most commonly mentioned as potential trade targets speaks to how weak the starting pitching market could be this June and July. Schilling can’t help but wonder whether a team like the Red Sox will go above and beyond for Chris Archer, though. The 27-year-old has struggled this season, but he’s proven in the past that he’s capable of pitching like an ace, and the Tampa Bay Rays currently are bringing up the rear in the American League East.
“I think there might be two teams in the league that would have the minor league talent to get Chris Archer,” Schilling said. “You would have to give up (Yoan) Moncada and somebody else probably. But I think that that might be a potential. Listen, they have him, he’s under a team-friendly contract, so there’s no doubt in my mind from a price prospective (the Rays) can maximize leverage. That would be the kind of guy I would go out and get.
“I don’t think (the Rays) will (trade him to the Red Sox), you usually don’t trade inside the division, and I get that,” the former major league pitcher added. “But like I said, if you offer a package of players — Moncada and (Andrew) Benintendi and another guy — does that work? I don’t care what division you’re in, if I’m getting three potential impact players, I go there.”
Schilling is just spitballing, of course. But expect more of it from him and others over the next couple of months so long as the Red Sox remain in contention and the rotation remains a question mark.
Click for Schilling’s full interview >>
Thumbnail photo via Dale Zanine/USA TODAY Sports Images
