Red Sox Trade Rumors: Boston 'Casting Wide Net' in Push to Add SP

The Boston Red Sox are "casting [a] wide net" in hopes of bolstering their starting rotation ahead of the July 31 trade deadline, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

Rosenthal noted the club would like to get something done "sooner rather than later" after entering the All-Star break on the outside of the American League playoff picture.

Boston (49-41) currently sits nine games back of the New York Yankees in the AL East and two games back of the Cleveland Indians in the wild-card race.

Last year, the team made it until Aug. 25 before losing its 41st game en route to winning a franchise-record 108 games during the regular season and ultimately winning the World Series. 

Much of the Red Sox's struggles this season can be attributed to pitching, both in the rotation and the bullpen. The rotation ranks 18th in the majors with a 4.70 ERA while the bullpen—which has 18 blown saves (tied for second-most in MLB) in 36 chances—ranks 15th with a 4.44 ERA. 

Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski recently acknowledged the team's pitching wasn't where it was expected to be.

"We built our ballclub for them to be our strong suit," Dombrowski said of the team's rotation, according to the Boston Globe's Alex Speier. "I don't think it's been what we expected or hoped."

"They're a very talented group of pitchers," he continued. "They're the guys who are supposed to carry us, really. That's why I think they've been fine. They've been OK. But I can't say they've really carried us at any point. The bullpen keeps getting pointed to all the time, I think a lot of times unfairly. It’s just that collectively, in a lot of places, we haven't done as well as we hoped."

Seven-time All-Star Chris Sale has struggled for the majority of the season after signing a five-year, $145 million extension in March, going 3-8 with a 4.04 ERA through his first 18 starts. He recently called his pitching "absolutely embarrassing."

Meanwhile, 2016 American League Cy Young Award winner Rick Porcello has a 5.33 ERA through 18 starts, and Eduardo Rodriguez has posted a 4.65 ERA through 18 starts, though he has still managed a 9-4 record on the season. 2018 postseason star Nathan Eovaldi has been limited to just four starts due to injury after signing a four-year, $68 million deal during the offseason.

In other words, outside of David Price (7-2, 3.24 ERA), Boston's rotation has dramatically underperformed. According to ESPN.com, Price has registered a WAR of 2.3; no other starter on the team is above 1.7.

Manager Alex Cora recently told The Athletic's Jen McCaffrey that the Red Sox will consider all of their options in regards to the fifth spot in the rotation, revealing that the team is open to experimenting with an opener.

Given Rosenthal's latest report, though, don't be surprised if Boston aggressively pursues pitching in the coming weeks.