|
Signing Jon Lester is priority No. 1 for the Red Sox. But what if they fail to land the big lefty? And what if they whiff on Max Scherzer and James Shields as well? The Red Sox cannot afford to go through this offseason without landing a No. 1 starter, so they’d probably turn to the trade market, namely Phillies lefty Cole Hamels. Hamels has four years and $90 million remaining on his contract, with a fifth-year option he might insist be picked up if the Sox deal for him. What would the prospect-rich Red Sox have to give up for Hamels? That question was posed to ESPN Insider Jim Bowden, a former major league general manager. Bowden thinks the Phillies would ask for Yoenis Cespedes be included in the deal but would be rebuffed by the Red Sox. Here’s the deal he thinks would get it done:
In this deal, the Sox would be giving up their seventh-, ninth- and 13th-ranked prospects respectively, according to SoxProspects.com. Here’s Bowden breaking it down: ”The Red Sox might counter with Ranaudo and Marrero for Hamels. Their intention would be to keep Cespedes out of the deal, as he's an important bat for the team. Plus, they can argue the Phillies are already getting their best pitching and middle-infield prospect. “But the Phillies will insist on another top pitching prospect if Cespedes is out of the deal, and they'll start by asking for left-handed pitcher Henry Owens. After getting turned down, they could accept Matt Barnes as the third player in the deal.”
If you were Ben Cherington, would you make this deal?
|
