MLB Trade Rumors: Dealing Josh Beckett Would Benefit Struggling Red Sox

As the Boston Red Sox hover around .500, a $17 million Josh Beckett slowly eats up their cap room. Rumors swirl about his future in Boston, as the Red Sox have received calls for Beckett's services.

No, this isn’t your 2000 Josh Beckett. That pitcher did not have a 4.57 ERA and some of the worst strikeout rates of his career. Those days of blowing past batters with a heater are long gone—consistently anyway.

If they can get a package of prospects from a Beckett suitor, the Red Sox would be wise to cut that $17 million and look toward the future.

Red Sox GM Ben Cherington said about trading Beckett:

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"Taking Josh Beckett off this team is not necessarily improving things," Cherington said. "We need to add, we need to improve the rotation, if anything -- improve internally or add to the rotation. I think we're sort of stuck in neutral if we start taking guys out of the rotation who are good major league pitchers."   

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I agree with Cherington’s thought process but he left one major point out: it doesn’t hurt your team to deal Beckett either. His WAR isn’t even over one and baseball is almost two-thirds to the postseason.

In addition, younger, less cap-impeding option Jon Lester, Clay Bucholz and Felix Doubront can hold down the fort with Beckett shipped off elsewhere. Daniel Bard could come in and replace Beckett; that sure is a viable replacement than you’re normal Triple-A call-up. 

This hasn’t been Boston’s best pitching year by any stretch, but their hitting numbers have dipped from recent years, highlighted by the injuries of David Ortiz and Carl Crawford, as well as Kevin Youkilis before he was dealt. That has been Boston's true Achilles' heel this season so keeping Beckett along for the ride won't change things severely.

The Red Sox minor league system already has a solid group of core players including stud 3B Will Middlebrooks and SP Anthony Ranaudo. A couple more additions in exchange would build on the next three years more so than a middling Beckett hanging out in their rotation’s No. 3 spot.

It’s time for the Red Sox to cut the fat. Selling low or not, they can still make a run without Josh Beckett on the roster. This is one chapter Boston needs to close.