The Red Sox are likely to be big players in the trade and free agent markets for starting pitching this winter, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reported Sunday.
With Josh Beckett shipped out to Los Angeles and Daisuke Matsuzaka in the last year of his contact, the only sure constants in the rotation are Jon Lester, Clay Buchholz and Felix Doubront. The Red Sox have the bodies on the roster currently to fill the rotation -- John Lackey returns, and Franklin Morales has shown some promise as a starter. But If the Red Sox are planning on going back to the playoffs in 2012, they know they'll need to improve on that group.
Cafardo mentions current Yankee and free agent to be Hiroki Kuroda (3.04 ERA, 3.4 K/BB in 183.1 IP) and current White Sox member Jake Peavy (3.28 ERA, 3.88 K/BB in 181 IP) as top targets on the free agent market. Matt Garza (3.91 ERA, 3.0 K/BB in 103.2 IP) could be the top trade option.
The starting pitching market is flush with free agents beyond the top-end, too -- Ryan Dempster, Zack Greinke, Edwin Jackson, Colby Lewis, Francisco Liriano, Kyle Lohse, Shaun Marcum, Brandon McCarthy and Anibal Sanchez are all enticing free agents this summer, with more possible depending on how options shake up. It's a strong market for the Red Sox to make a play in.
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