Conflicting reports on Tuesday left everyone in Boston unsure as to whether or not the Red Sox made Toronto a strong offer for Roy Halladay, but if Theo Epstein did in fact show that he's willing to trade Clay Buchholz, he should go for the best possible dealWe've already crowned the kid.
Clay Buchholz is the next best thing, or at least, that's what the Boston Red Sox have made him out to be. And whether or not you actually believe the above statement to be true, we can at least agree on one thing: Buchholz is a wanted man.
He's the first player opposing GM's will ask for when in pursuit for young prospects. That's what Buchholz is, a prospect. Nothing more, nothing less. His potential is evident, even with a 2-9 season (6.75 ERA) in 2008 with Boston.
The no-hitter Buchholz threw in 2007 may not have made his road to success any easier, given the immediate pressure put on him to be a finished product a lot sooner than originally expected. But it certainly didn't hurt his potential.
Being brought up to the majors for three games this month, Buchholz went 1-1 with a no decision in his latest outing Tuesday night, which would have been a second win if it weren't for Jonathan Papelbon's blown save in the ninth. Buchholz wasn't perfect, but still wasn't lit up enough to decrease his trade value.
So here we are. Just days before the July 31 trade deadline. The Red Sox possess what is arguably baseball's most coveted young pitcher that isn't in an MLB rotation. They also have a farm system stacked with talent that other organizations salivate over.
And again, here we are, just days before that deadline, talking about starting pitching. Not just giving up starting pitching, but receiving it in return.
Gordon Edes of Yahoo Sports reported Tuesday afternoon that the Red Sox offered Clay Buchholz, Michael Bowden, and Ryan Westmoreland to Toronto for Roy Halladay.
That report was later clarified on Tuesday night, reporting the Red Sox offered a three-player deal that surrounded Buchholz, and that Westmoreland was not part of any deal.
Both Red Sox and Blue Jays sources later denied any such offer to the Boston Globe.
I don't expect either team to come out and admit that certain trades have been proposed, so I'm not ruling out Edes' report, which later had Buchholz offered along with Toronto's choice of Bowden, Justin Masterson, or Lars Anderson, and at least a third prospect of lesser value.
Interestingly enough, Edes adds that "the Red Sox from the beginning have included Buchholz because the Blue Jays had made it clear he would have to be the starting point of any deal."
Of course. He's Cy Buchholz. Everybody wants him.
If that's truly the case - if a package surrounding Buchholz is so highly coveted throughout the league, and if the Red Sox are willing to part ways with him and other top prospects - then why not send those prospects packing in return for the
best possible deal available, filling the most important, long-term need?
I believe I've touched on this before, that maybe sending the farm for Halladay isn't the
best available option. Not that it's not a very, very good option. It's just not the best. My reasoning was simple: Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, and Daisuke Matsuzaka are all still young and each are potential 18-game winners, barring a World Baseball Classic-filled spring training (sorry Daisuke, the only thing different from your 2008 regimen and 2009 regimen was the WBC).
And while Matsuzaka may not pitch again this season (I don't foresee an imminent break-up with him and the Red Sox, regardless of either side's displeasure about the pitcher's work load), Beckett and Lester are still one of the most dangerous duos in baseball. Combine that with one of the best bullpens in the league, and you shouldn't have a team that's desperate for pitching down the stretch.
The biggest need is a bat in the middle of the lineup for the future, to go along with Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis, and Jason Bay (he'll be back). David Ortiz and Mike Lowell won't be around much longer, and even though they both have enough left to help this year's Red Sox team in a playoff run, the need to replace their production will be more evident next season.
So with this news that Theo Epstein is in fact willing to trade Buchholz, and if in fact Buchholz is put on such a high pedestal throughout Major League baseball, then why wouldn't the Red Sox blow someone away with a deal, someone who has what they need most - a bat.
I'm not talking about Victor Martinez. I'm not even talking about Adrian Gonzalez - both of whom were rumored in possible deals to Boston. Out of those two players, Gonzalez is the one I'd rather see in a Red Sox uniform. He just turned 27, as opposed to Martinez, who'll turn 31 in December.
But Gonzalez doesn't fit the mold as someone who is on the trade block. Why? Because he's extremely affordable for San Diego. Gonzalez is only making $3 million this season, and is on the books for $4.75 million in 2010. The Padres then have a $5.5 million club option on the first baseman in 2011.
San Diego can continue to build around Gonzalez for a few more years. But there are teams out there that have young players who will either become too expensive under their current long-term deal (see Florida's Hanley Ramirez), or who will soon make more money than their current team can afford in upcoming free agency (see Minnesota's Joe Mauer).
We constantly give Epstein & Co. credit for being a creative bunch. Sending a King's ransom to Toronto for something that's not the organization's biggest long-term need is anything but.
That's not to say that behind the scenes the Red Sox aren't currently plotting something even bigger, something that would surprise us all. I'm not ruling out a major move that brings in an All Star shortstop or catcher of the future because more often than not, the blockbuster deals that go down aren't first reported until they actually happen.
If we've learned anything from earth-shattering deals (see A-Rod to Yankees when all reports led to Rodriguez Red Sox jerseys going on sale at MLB.com), it's that the trades that are dead couldn't be more alive, and the trades that are alive, might as well not even be reported as realistic.
I still stand my ground, that the Adam LaRoche acquisition was all this Red Sox team really needed to be a contender right now. The addition of a lefty specialist in the bullpen could also be useful down the stretch, so that power bat of the future most likely won't be in Boston by Friday.
But there's always the offseason. There's always those available players I mentioned earlier who are in significant situations with their ballclubs. Ramirez, 25, and Mauer, 26, would only be moved for that King's ransom I talked about. But if you're now showing the willingness to give up the young prospects for Halladay, wouldn't trying to sway Florida or Minnesota for one of those young hitters (at positions the Red Sox desperately need) be the
best possible deal?
I know what you're asking yourself. Are Ramirez and Mauer even available?
Maybe not right now. But in the winter, when Ramirez' contract kicks up to $7 million, and Mauer heads into the last year of his contract with no extension in sight, why wouldn't the Marlins and Twins at least listen?
Say all you want about the two organizations building new ballparks, and wanting to keep their expensive superstars around, but at the end of the day, the Twins may not have a choice if Mauer has big money and free agency on his mind,
and the Marlins have already shown they won't hang up the phone when asked about Ramirez' availability.
When the Red Sox went to Florida last winter after losing out on Mark Teixeira, the Marlins didn't immediately tell the Red Sox they couldn't have Ramirez. They listened, and then asked for, well, a King's ransom.
Buchholz was the main ingredient, along with Jacoby Ellsbury. And those were just the starting pieces.
Since it now seems that Buchholz, Bowden, Masterson, and Anderson aren't untouchable, the only player Epstein may have to be convinced to move is Ellsbury. But if it means acquiring the centerpiece of Boston's offense for years to come, someone with already proven All Star talent, then parting ways with Ellsbury shouldn't be too much of an issue.
Nobody has officially said that Ramirez and/or Mauer are available. But what we do know, is that the Red Sox certainly have the pieces to overwhelm either Florida or Minnesota to pull the trigger on a blockbuster.
Now
that would be the best possible deal.
The MLB trade deadline was Friday at 4 p.m., and the Boston Red Sox got Cleveland to trade Victor Martinez in a package that didn't include top pitching prospect Clay Buchholz
