Red Sox Search for Pitching Has Them Bargain Shopping

It's January, but the clock on the Red Sox offseason is still ticking. With about six weeks until pitchers and catchers report to spring training, the "pitchers" part of that pairing still remains in flux. 

The bullpen, at least the back-end of it, has rounded into shape nicely. Gone are Daniel Bard (starting rotation) and Jonathan Papelbon who left for Philadelphia. In their places step in Mark Melancon and Andrew Bailey, both of whom were acquired through trades. In addition to both being young and talented relief pitchers, they also have something else in common. They're both inexpensive. 

That common thread stands to be one that whoever new general manager Ben Cherington brings in before Opening Day will likely posses as well.

For the first time in a while the Red Sox are overtly penny pinching. They've been non-factors in every single major free agent that has hit the market this offseason. They let Jonathan Papelbon walk without so much as a counter offer. They didn't bid on Yu Darvish and they have been absent from other high profile free agents as well.

Free agents such as first basemen Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder were just not players that the Red Sox had space for on their roster.

Others such as pitchers C.J. Wilson, Mark Buehrle and Yu Darvish are the types of pitchers that in years past, a Red Sox team with only three sure starting pitchers slated for the Opening Day active roster, would have at the very least pursued with some vigor.

This season they were total non-factors on those pitchers and while the bullpen is beginning to solidify, the right field position as well as slots for one or possibly two starting pitchers remain in flux. 

Regardless of how much money a team earns, if a team spends frivolously, eventually that team will reach a point where they can no longer freely spend. That point is basically right now.

Of the 23 teams that have spent money on free agents this offseason, the Red Sox currently rank 18th. That's not where the Red Sox would normally rank. The team that just over one year ago dropped $142 million on outfielder Carl Crawford has spent a total of $4.35 million this year. 

The Red Sox do have current members of the team available as starting options. Daniel Bard will get a chance to start. Felix Doubront, Alfredo Aceves and Andrew Miller are all possible back of the rotation options and there's always a chance that the Red Sox could bring back Tim Wakefield as well. 

The problem is that none of those guys inspire much confidence. Wakefield's ability to consistently get people out with his knuckleball seems to be declining rapidly. Aceves has never had to start for an entire season. Doubront is still only 24 years old and Miller, in spite of decent potential, had terrible numbers last year. 

That leaves a cast of free agent pitchers who aren't going to get most fans fired up, but could possibly be nice low-cost, short term options. Then again, they might not be. 

Paul Maholm, Joe Saunders, Hideki Kuroda, and Joel Pineiro. The Red Sox may end up signing one of those pitchers or they could continue to go the trade route and perhaps make what would be a fairly large deal for Cubs pitcher Matt Garza.

Garza's cost is going to be the issue. Not his contractual cost, but the cost in future prospects. The Red Sox were able to ship out two low-level prospects along with Josh Reddick to acquire Andrew Bailey last week. Getting Garza won't be nearly as painless. Top prospects are in all likelihood going to have be given up, especially with as many as four other teams pursuing Garza.

The free spending days of bringing in the top free agents have come to an end, at least for the remainder of this offseason. While that may be frustrating to Red Sox fans it's worth mentioning that the high priced free agents haven't really paid dividends and the team has missed the playoffs in each of the last two seasons. Perhaps this change in spending is a prelude to a change in results as well?