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Unlike this past offseason, the Boston Red Sox aren't desperate.

After landing Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez in an unprecedented spending spree, the expectations were high for the season, and Boston failed to disappoint, storming out to the front of the AL East after struggling to start the season. The Red Sox have had issues with injuries, especially to the pitching staff, and the team has wisely tried to address them before the trade deadline.

It looked like Rich Harden was going to be the guy, but the club wisely decided to avoid the Oakland pitcher's injury history and pulled out of the deal at the last minute. Now, with the deadline looming, teams are overpaying for top targets.

Both Cleveland and Philadelphia overpaid for Ubaldo Jimenez and Hunter Pence respectively, and Theo Epstein has tried to avoid shipping out his top prospects for lesser targets. It won't be easy, especially with the pressure to get a deal done before today's deadline, but there are plenty of players out there for Boston to pursue.

Patience is a virtue, and the Red Sox have exercised it to the extreme. With the lesser targets available, the last thing you want to do is overpay for someone who won't be a major difference maker in a pennant race.

Boston still has valuable prospects and is willing to part with them for the right price, but the Red Sox aren't the Yankees of old, who gave up everything to get established stars that never panned out and New York failed to win championships, and furthermore failed to replace aging veterans with young promising stars.

Epstein will be burning up the phones all the way up to the deadline, and while he may not get a deal done, one thing is for certain, he will not allow himself to be caught up in what fans are saying and will do what's best for the long-term health of the franchise.

In the end, that is what's best, even if fans are crying for short-term help in the face of daunting injuries to the pitching staff.

- Tom Kinslow

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The last thing the Boston Red Sox could do is scuttle the farm system for a pitcher or may or may not pan out in the end.

Ubaldo Jimenez was on the trading block, and when all of the dust settled, it was the Cleveland Indians who overpaid for his services, giving up a massive haul of prospects to bring him to the American League and help push the club into the postseason. For the Red Sox, who were somewhat interested in making a deal, this has all the symptoms of a wise decision.

Jimenez has been inconsistent, and when you watch him pitch, he isn't someone that makes you believe he could dominate American League hitting on a weekly basis. For how much Cleveland gave up, you would think that it was getting CC Sabathia instead of Jimenez, who isn't the most daunting pitcher in baseball.

Boston doesn't need to make a massive move to win a World Series, and giving up a boatload of prospects isn't a move Theo Epstein is comfortable making, and rightly so. After the Adrian Gonzalez trade, the Red Sox's farm system isn't as strong as it used to be, and further depleting that base of prospects will handcuff the team in future trade talks.

There are plenty of bullpen arms and lesser starters the Red Sox can go after, and as the trade deadline approaches, Boston will be in on most of these players as it tries to get a deal done to ensure another World Series run.

The Red Sox can't afford to wait and hope that the injuries clear themselves up. This is a club that goes out and attacks its needs at the trade deadline, and with all of the names bandied about, Boston has to land someone and make sure they've done everything possible to beat the American League's best teams.

If the Red Sox fail to get a deal done, there will be some nervous faces in Fenway, but this is still a team that has a chance to make a deep playoff run.

- Tom Kinslow

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The Boston Red Sox need a starting pitcher, but they don't need one that bad.

Last night, the Red Sox were on the verge of trading for Oakland's Rich Harden, but thought better of it, pulling out of the deal after taking a look at his medical history. Boston needs someone that can be counted on, and Harden has too many red flags for his acquisition to be a good idea.

Needless to say, this situation was full of drama, and as this all broke down, no one knew what was going on, including Harden himself, who was eventually sat down and told that he would be staying in Oakland for the foreseeable future.

Per ESPN.com:

Harden said Saturday night he was told by general manager Billy Beane he was staying put and would start Tuesday. The clubs had been close to a swap that would have sent Harden to Beantown and brought Triple-A first baseman Lars Anderson to the A's.

"I just spoke with Billy and he says I'm an 'A' and I'm starting on Tuesday in Seattle," Harden told reporters. "It's definitely a strange position to be in, but from what I hear I'm here and I'm staying here. I'm happy to be an 'A'. ... It's definitely a strange position to be in."

Citing an MLB source, The Boston Globe reported the Red Sox pulled out of the deal because of Harden's medical history. The Red Sox reviewed his records and concluded he likely wouldn't be able to pitch injury-free through the end of the season, the report said.

With the Red Sox willing to give up Anderson in a deal for a pitcher, this will keep the club in talks for some of the top starting arms available. The young first basemen will attract many suitors, giving Boston options in trade talks.

If Theo Epstein is going to pull the trigger on a deal, he cannot make a trade just to do it. Plenty of teams have gotten in trouble doing that in the past, and Harden simply has too many question marks to be a viable force in a postseason run. The Red Sox have struggled with injuries to the pitching staff, and if Harden were to go down, it would be a total disaster, and fans would be calling for Epstein's head.

It may be a public embarrassment, but Boston had to pass on Harden, because if it is going to make a move, the Red Sox have to make sure it's the right one. Anything less would be a failure to do what's best for short and long term future of the franchise.

- Tom Kinslow

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With the trade deadline just a shade over a day away, teams looking to deal for veteran right-hander Hiroki Kuroda must act quickly.  

There are reportedly just a few suitors remaining out of the initial six or seven teams that were interested earlier in the week.

Kuroda has a full no-trade clause in his contract so teams looking to put a deal through for him will need to get their final offers in soon. Kuroda will need some time to make a decision on where he wants to play out the rest of the season and possibly his career.

Two perennial powerhouses, the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, are probably the most interested in acquiring the 36-year-old from Osaka, Japan.

The Yankees have a stable of overachieving veteran pitchers on their staff right now. Bartolo Colon, Freddy Garcia, and A.J. Burnett. Burnett is starting to lose his stuff and may be playing himself out of the rotation with his 4.94 July ERA.

The Yanks would love to bring in Kuroda to stabilize their bullpen and add another legitimate option to help their postseason push.

The Red Sox are in an even direr situation than the Yankees. Boston is most likely going to lose Clay Buchholz to a stint on the DL after his back gets evaluated on Monday. They only have two quality starters on the roster if this happens and the team really needs to get a third good pitcher.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are apparently seeking ‘organizational needs’ in exchange for Kuroda. This would mean minor league prospects as the team is in limbo following ownership dispute this season. They are effectively out of playoff contention and the best thing to do would be to cut costs and add youth for the future.

Look for the Red Sox or Yankees to get a deal in place with Los Angeles before the 4 P.M. trade deadline tomorrow for Hiroki Kuroda.

-Alex Kay

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Erik Bedard struggled mightily in his first start since his month-long stint on the disabled list with a knee injury.

Bedard was absolutely crushed by Tampa Bay, lasting just 1.1 innings and giving up 5 earned runs. He walked four and gave up three big hits while striking out just two batters.

The Canadian born Bedard was looking obviously rusty, and it seemed that he could not find the strike zone. He was pulled after 57 pitches, but showed promise by clocking in around 94 at times and his curveball looked solid.

Bedard has been thrown around in trade rumors with the Boston Red Sox, who might be leery of taking a chance on 32-year-old pitcher after his recent performance. Division rival Tampa Bay was the team that smoked Bedard, and he would be facing them many more times this coming season if he were to don a Red Sox uniform.

The Sox are still likely to make a move for a pitcher, and may get Bedard for less than they initially thought after his performance. Clay Buchholz is being sent to Los Angeles on Monday to have his back evaluated by a specialist and may be out of the rotation for quite some time.

The Red Sox direly need to add a starting pitcher to a weak rotation in order to remain atop the American League East. Josh Beckett and Jon Lester are solid, but the current No. 3 starter would be either Wakefield or Lackey, which would not be ideal come the playoffs. Neither is a solid enough pitcher to consistently give the team a chance to win games.

Bedard is apparently shy of the spotlight and Boston would not be the best locale for him, but at this point the Sox might just need to put a deal through to land him. His stock is down and the price just might be right for Bedard. They have until 4 PM tomorrow to decide. 

-Alex Kay

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Friday night was to be a big night in regards to one of the many trade rumors regarding the Boston Red Sox. It was, after all, the night Seattle Mariners lefty Erik Bedard was due to come off the disabled list, and the Sox were going to have plenty of eyes on him as he did his thing against the Tampa Bay Rays at Safeco Field.

What they saw wasn’t exactly encouraging.

Making his first start since late June, Bedard lasted just an inning and a third, giving up five earned runs on three hits and four walks. It was the shortest start of his career, and probably his worst too.

For a team like the Red Sox, who are becoming increasingly desperate to find a starting pitcher with Clay Buchholz’s return getting pushed back time and again, watching Bedard struggle had to be tough. They had, after all, seemed quite intrigued by him, and could have made a deal for him had he pitched well against the Rays.

Because he didn’t, the Sox have a pretty good excuse to back off and look for starting pitching help elsewhere.

True enough, the word from WEEI.com’s Alex Speier is that Bedard’s stuff was actually pretty decent on Friday night. He showed good velocity, with his fastball sitting in the 91-93 mph range. That would seem to indicate that Bedard is at least healthy.

While Bedard’s stuff may be okay, former Baltimore Orioles executive Jim Duquette said that what the Sox should really be worried about is Bedard’s character. Apparently, he’s not a big fan of the spotlight.

Via the Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald, here is Duquette’s take on Bedard:

He doesn’t like the attention. When he’s the guy, he doesn’t succeed. And I always thought, because he didn’t want to be the guy, that it would hold him back. I thought he’d be a real solid No. 3 (starter), maybe in a small market. But it would concern me going into a big market. After I left the Orioles, I even tried to dissuade a couple of big-market clubs that were interested in him. 

If that makes you concerned, it should. The last thing the Red Sox need is a guy who can’t handle the bright lights, not to mention the relentlessness of the Boston press corps.

As ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick put it: “Erik Bedard has J.D. Drew's durability and John Lackey's media relations skill. He's the perfect Red Sox player!”

Well said. And if Sox GM Theo Epstein has any sense, he will heed these wise words.

… why do I have this weird feeling that I just jinxed it?

-Zachary D. Rymer

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Thanks to his stinker on Friday night against the Tampa Bay Rays, we can probably close the book on the trade rumors surrounding the Boston Red Sox and Seattle Mariners lefty Erik Bedard. Not exactly a shame.

But what about Hiroki Kuroda? He has yet to be dealt, and the Sox are known to be in the mix for his services. And because his start on Wednesday went pretty well, there’s no reason to have last-minute jitters.

Maybe so. But the word from Tony Jackson of ESPNLosAngeles.com on Friday night was that the market for Kuroda is apparently dwindling at a rapid pace. While as many as five or six teams, including the Red Sox, were rumored to be trying to pry Kuroda from the Los Angeles Dodgers, general manager Ned Colletti says that is no longer the case.

"At this point, it's far less,'' Colletti said on Friday.

That’s obviously quite vague, but Jackson theorized that the list of suitors for Kuroda could be down to one.

That could be the case, but you can guess as to which team it might be at your own peril. Rest assured, we won’t know unless Kuroda is traded. If he isn’t, we’ll never know.

If I absolutely had to speculate, it wouldn’t surprise me if the Sox are one of the teams that have dropped out of the race. Exactly how interested they’ve been in Kuroda this whole time has been difficult to determine, yet you have to think Sox GM Theo Epstein could tell you all about a tweet from ESPN’s Buster Olney that claimed there is a “wide gap” between what the Dodgers want for Kuroda and what teams are offering for him. The Sox are in no position to start dishing out arms and legs for pitchers like Kuroda, and it wouldn’t make much sense for them to go out of their way to do so.

Moreover, it sounds like the Sox have turned their focus to Colorado Rockies ace Ubaldo Jimenez. On Friday, SI.com’s Jon Heyman tweeted that the Sox are “aggressively pursuing” Jimenez, which makes sense given how much bang the Sox would be getting for their buck.

As for Kuroda, well, all you can really say is “meh.” He’d be better than Andrew Miller, no doubt about that. But that’s not really saying much.

-Zachary D. Rymer

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In the wake of the Carlos Beltran deal, the market for Hunter Pence has heated up, and if the Boston Red Sox had any interest at all, it's time to back away from the negotiating table and realize what they have on their hands.

Josh Reddick has emerged as an everyday right fielder, cooling Boston's need for a major bat at the deadline. Theo Epstein is looking for a situational hitter to come off of the bench, and that will cost much, much less than Houston wants for Pence.

At this point of the season, the Red Sox need to find a way to bolster the starting rotation and the bullpen, and that has to be a priority before the deadline. If Boston doesn't improve these areas of its roster, the Red Sox run the risk of not having the type of pitching needed to win a World Series. With all of the money that they spent in the offseason, failing to make the Fall Classic would be a major disappointment.

Houston wants a lot for Pence, and after the trade for Adrian Gonzalez, Boston can't afford to further dilute the prospect base when they have a perfectly capable right fielder on the roster. Epstein needs to realize his priorities and attack the trade market accordingly.

With so many teams in the hunt for Pence, the bidding has gotten to the point where some team is going to give up a lot to land the right fielder, and the Red Sox don't have the type of deep prospect base to make a trade.

Boston has spread itself thin all over the trade market, and naturally, the team has an interest in Pence, but he isn't a priority, and as we get closer to the deadline, the Red Sox will drift out of the market as they pursue arms to stabilize what has been a shaky pitching staff.

If Boston wants to win the World Series, it knows that offense isn't a priority. The Red Sox already have the best offense in baseball. Now it's time to give the club the type of pitching stability that will allow the team to compete against the biggest American League contenders.

- Tom Kinslow

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The longer Clay Buchholz sits on the disabled list, the more nervous Theo Epstein gets.

Buchholz is supposed to be a key part of Boston's postseason rotation, only he has been inconsistent and injured, muddying the waters of his future. The Red Sox have explored options, and the top contender to bolster the rotation is Seattle's Erik Bedard.

At this point, Bedard is an improvement over Andrew Miller and the other assorted arms the Red Sox have run out to the mound in an effort to hold the fort while the club deals with injuries. Epstein has taken a hard look at making a move for him, and he has the ability to give Boston meaningful innings late into the season.

Per Boston.com:

With Clay Buchholz dealing with a back injury that could keep him out for the remainder of the season, the Sox are trying to obtain a starter before Sunday’s non-waiver deadline, according to major league sources.

Bedard, 32, is 4-6 with a 3.00 earned run average in 15 starts and has only $352,000 remaining on his contract for this season. He has made just 45 starts over the last four seasons because of injuries, but has five years of experience in the American League East, having started his career with Baltimore.

Bedard has a 4.32 ERA in 13 appearances against the Yankees and a 3.22 ERA in 13 starts against the Rangers, possible playoff opponents for the Red Sox.

At this point, these numbers sound like an improvement over John Lackey, who has been nothing short of horrendous this season.

Words can't describe how bad the former Angels star has been since he got to Boston, and it has gotten worse since his move to Fenway. This is a man who still has an ERA that is astronomically high, shows up his defenders, and can't even tame the mediocre bats of the Kansas City Royals.

Boston needs an arm that can eat up innings and do it without getting shelled each and every time he steps on the mound. Bedard likely won't cost most, especially compared to Hiroki Kuroda and Ubaldo Jimenez.

At this point of the season, the Red Sox need to make a move for a pitcher, because the Red Sox cannot afford to keep running out mediocre pitchers to the mound in the middle of a pennant race.

- Tom Kinslow

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If the Boston Red Sox are going to make a trade for a starting pitcher, it’s now or never. And if you’ve been keeping an eye and an ear on the rumor mill, you’ll know that one of their primary targets is Los Angeles Dodgers righty Hiroki Kuroda.

According to the latest from ESPNBoston.com’s Gordon Edes, the Sox are still very much a part of the Kuroda sweepstakes. And because Clay Buchholz’s road to recovery hit another bump on Wednesday, they need a pitcher like Kuroda now more than ever before.

Unfortunately, the situation is even more desperate. Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reported late Wednesday night that the New York Yankees have “intensified their pursuit” of Kuroda. They too have starting pitching concerns, and it would appear that they are sick and tired of trying to lower the Colorado Rockies’ asking price for Ubaldo Jimenez.

There are a couple of other American League clubs in the Kuroda sweepstakes, but the fact that the Yankees are trying to get a leg up should concern the Sox.

Yes, the Sox do have the upper hand in the AL East, but that could change if the Yanks get Kuroda and add some much-needed depth in their rotation. And if the Yankees do get Kuroda, their rotation will be just as good as Boston’s. That might not be saying much at this juncture, but it will make a world of difference down the stretch when these two teams are doing battle for home-field advantage throughout the AL playoffs.

In a perfect world, the Sox will keep Kuroda from the Yanks by grabbing him for themselves. If that happens, it’s hard to see the Sox missing out on either the division title or the AL’s top seed.

In a slightly-less-perfect world, Kuroda won’t go to either club. This is actually a legit possibility, as SI.com’s Jon Heyman tweeted on Wednesday that there is “little belief” that Kuroda will waive his no-trade clause no matter who the Dodgers make a deal with.

Not ideal, but the Sox will probably take it if it means Kuroda won’t be wearing pinstripes for the next two months.

As a great man once said, you gotta enjoy the little things.

-Zachary D. Rymer

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If you’re a fan of the Boston Red Sox, you’ve probably noticed that the team doesn’t exactly have a stable situation in right field. Sure, Josh Reddick has been great since being called up again in June, but that hasn’t stopped GM Theo Epstein from generating trade rumors.

With MLB’s July 31 trade deadline now just a couple days away, you can rest assured that Epstein is a busy man. If a guy can play right field, Epstein will consider trading for him, whether we’re talking about Jeff Francoeur, Ryan Ludwick, or Josh Willingham.

Or, believe it or not, Andre Ethier.

As Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports wrote on Wednesday, it’s “unlikely” that the Los Angeles Dodgers will deal their sweet-swinging right fielder in the next couple days, but it “isn’t completely out of the question.”

Sure enough, the Sox have given the Dodgers a call about Ethier. Morosi’s sources say that the two clubs haven’t had any “serious discussions,” but that doesn’t mean discussions haven’t taken place.

Because Ethier is one of the best young players in the game, and because the Dodgers need to fill seats, it would be foolish for them to trade him. At the same time, Ethier is due to be a free agent after next season, and it’s pretty clear right now that he wants out of LA.

That’s exactly why Dodgers GM Ned Colletti apparently hasn’t rule out the idea of trading Ethier, though Morosi’s sources say he “would need to be blown away.”

The Sox do have the kind of prospects to put together that kind of offer. And if Dustin Pedroia, Ethier’s old Arizona State teammate, was running the show, the Sox would probably make such an offer.

But Pedroia is not running the show. Epstein is, and it’s a good bet that he’s not about to give up the farm to get Ethier.

There are a couple of reasons why he won’t. The first is that the Sox really don’t need Ethier right now. They may not have a star in right field, but that hasn’t stopped them from becoming the most lethal offensive team in baseball. May as well leave good enough alone.

Secondly, the Sox can just wait for Ethier if they want him that bad. He’ll probably be on the block for real in 2012, and will be a free agent at the end of the season no matter what. The Sox can make a run at him then.

The last point, though, is that the Sox may not want him all that bad. They are giving Reddick a chance to establish himself as a long-term option in right field, and the Sox still have Ryan Kalish at their disposal if Reddick doesn’t pan out.

So yeah, don’t get your hopes up for Ethier.

In fact, let’s stop talking about this.

Now.

-Zachary D. Rymer

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If the Boston Red Sox are going to make a move, you can bet that it won't be a flashy one.

Theo Epstein has a squad that has a lead in the AL East, and has been pounding opposing pitching all season long. At this point, you don't want to mess with the chemistry too much, especially with the emergence of Josh Reddick.

The young outfielder has been a revelation for the Red Sox, and has stabilized the outfield in the wake of an injury to JD Drew. With Reddick in the lineup, there isn't a need for a big bat in the outfield. With that being said, it hasn't stopped reports linking Boston with high-profile players.

Per NESN.com:

Another named that popped up on Tuesday afternoon was Houston outfielder Hunter Pence. Fox's Ken Rosenthal reported that the Phillies been aggressively pursuing the outfielder, but Rosenthal did say that the Red Sox have inquired with the Astros about him. However, the Red Sox and Astros are reportedly struggling to find the right mix of chips to make a deal.

Looking at it realistically, the odds of the Red Sox landing Pence or Carlos Beltran is slim to none. Boston doesn't need to reinvent the wheel to get the type of bat they need to keep pace in a heated pennant race.

The Red Sox have been scoping out cheaper options like Jeff Francoeur and Ryan Spilborghs, and in the end, Epstein will push harder to land a player like this, rather than deplete the farm system at this stage of the game.

After trading for Adrian Gonzalez, Boston can't afford to dilute the prospect pool. Epstein needs to get the type of prospects the Red Sox are known for, and he can't mortgage the future just to land a player that might make a small impact in a World Series run.

Boston has the offensive talent to win a championship, and may need one small piece to help in the postseason. Right now, the pitching staff needs to be a priority, and if the club can square away the rotation and bullpen, it will be time to turn the attention to the offense.

Despite all of the talk, don't get wrapped up in names like Beltran and Pence, because they aren't realistic options.

- Tom Kinslow

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Last night was an abomination, and Theo Epstein needs to do something about it.

Andrew Miller is trying his best to bridge the gap for the Boston Red Sox, but let's be honest, it's a failed experiment, and after getting rocked by the Kansas City Royals, the club has to explore the market for a starting pitcher.

Boston is in the middle of a pennant race, and it cannot afford to allow Miller to go out there and pitch the way he did last night. Almost every time he steps on the mound, he is hesitant to attack hitters, ends up trying to nibble on the corners of the plate. 

If you do that against Major League hitting, you will suffer the consequences, and thankfully, the Red Sox's bats have been able to rise to the occasion and pound the other team's staff. Thanks to the powerful lineup, the club has been stealing wins they had no business earning.

Miller can't keep pitching, because once the games get more important, fans everywhere are going to be cringing once he takes the mound. Epstein doesn't have to go and break the bank for someone like Ubaldo Jimenez, but something has to be done to stabilize this rotation.

Clay Buchholz is slowly but surely coming back, but until then, Boston needs another arm, because as we've seen for the past few weeks, the back end of the rotation simply isn't cutting it. With the Yankees so close in the division race, getting another starter could be the difference between first place and the Wild Card.

Epstein cannot hope that his offense gets him through this period of the year, because hits are going to be harder to come by in August and September. If Boston wants to keep distance between itself and the Yankees, a starter is going to be pivotal in that equation.

After last night, Miller has pitched his last game in a Boston uniform and the Red Sox are looking for answers in the trade market. You can only suffer through mediocre pitching so long before you have to make a move.

When you have the lineup Boston has, you can't afford to ignore glaring weaknesses, and it's obvious that Miller isn't going to be the stop gap solution the club thought he would be.

Now is the time to cut the core and move on while looking for a solution.

- Tom Kinslow

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After months of ineptitude in the batter’s box, Red Sox right fielder J.D. Drew has been placed on the disabled list. Given the way Josh Reddick has played since getting called up in mid-June, we can probably take it for granted that Drew will not be missed.

However, sooner or later the Sox are going to have to concern themselves with how to replace Drew. His spot on the roster will be taken over by Drew Sutton for the time being, but now is as good a time as any to go out and find some outfield help on the trade market.

One player that has been suggested as a possible option for the Sox will actually be on the other side of the field for the next couple of days. That would be right fielder Jeff Francoeur, whose Kansas City Royals are in town for a four-game series.

For what it’s worth, Francoeur told WEEI on Monday that he is fine with the idea of playing for the Red Sox, though his preference is to stay with the Royals:

Block quote: [It would be neat. From a standpoint where my dad took a train with my grandpa for tons of games to Fenway. I was in high school and had a Boston Red Sox credit card. But I’m happy here, and I would like to play here.]

Because Francouer is a righty hitter that can handle lefties (.309 average against southpaws) and handle right field, he would be a good fit for the Sox. In fact, he would be just what the doctor ordered.

In a way, that’s probably why he’s not going to end up in a Red Sox uniform any time soon. Despite the fact they’ve kicked the tires on just about every outfielder on the market, those in the Red Sox front office appear to be in no hurry to actually make a deal, much less one for a player with a relatively big name like Francouer. Moreover, the word from Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald is that Drew’s absence is not going to change the way the Sox go about the trade deadline.

Presumably, that means they’re going to be remain nonaggressive. However, it doesn’t mean the Sox won’t pull the trigger on a deal if it’s right for them. Sox GM Theo Epstein may know he already has a good team, but that doesn’t mean he won’t make it better if he can.

One way or another, he only has a couple days to mull his options.

-Zachary D. Rymer

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For good or ill, there really aren’t many worthwhile starting pitchers on the MLB trade market this year. If nothing else, that makes Los Angeles Dodgers hurler Hiroki Kuroda the No. 1 option by default. Hence the whirlwind of rumors surrounding his name.

As of right now, it’s difficult to tell whether or not there are any favorites to land Kuroda. What we do know is that he will rule his own fate, as he has both a no-trade clause and a mind to use it.

For a while there, the Boston Red Sox were rumored to be one team that Kuroda would not let himself be traded to. On Monday, though, Andrew Marchand of ESPNNewYork.com wrote that this is not true. If the opportunity presented itself, Kuroda would consider accepting not just a trade to the Red Sox, but to the New York Yankees as well.

Despite several insistences from the Red Sox front office that they are not going to be aggressive at the trade deadline, Danny Knobler of CBS Sports wrote on Sunday that the Sox have kicked the tires on Kuroda. This is probably just because GM Theo Epstein always does his homework, but you never really know what he’s doing at any given moment.

For the sake of discussion, let’s say the Sox are seriously interested in Kuroda. It would make sense seeing as how he’s the best arm available, and the Sox could certainly use a starter with Clay Buchholz’s return still not quite imminent. More importantly, the Sox do have the prospects to trade for Kuroda if they so please.

If they do, the Sox would have to choose where Kuroda would fit into the rotation: in Tim Wakefield’s turn or in Andrew Miller’s. That would be a tough call, as you never know what either hurler is going to do on a nightly basis, but my gut tells me that they wouldn’t knock Wakefield from the rotation. That Miller has 15 walks in his last three starts would only make it easier to brush him aside.

The real interesting part will be what happens when a) Buchholz finally comes back and b) the Sox make the playoffs. Presumably, Kuroda would stay in the rotation when Buchholz returns, but exactly how he would fit into the club’s postseason plans is a little more difficult to determine. Because the Sox would probably go with a starting trio of Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, and Buchholz, Kuroda could be looking at bullpen duty.

The Sox would probably be fine with that, as surely there’s nothing wrong with having a starter with a 3.19 ERA coming out of the pen. The question is whether or not Kuroda can foresee this fate. If he can, he might not be so willing to waive his no-trade clause after all.

It’s all about the big picture, folks. The unfortunate reality for Sox fans is that Kuroda might not like the look of things in Boston.

Then again, we probably shouldn’t be getting ahead of ourselves in the first place.

-Zachary D. Rymer