Thursday, April 30, 2015

Lucchino: Boston's Double Back-Up Starter Plan

Appearing on WEEI's Dennis & Callahan Morning Show, Red Sox CEO and President Larry Lucchino said the team has two back-up plans for starting pitching. The first plan is to dip into the minor league system for guys like Brian Johnson or Eduardo Rodriguez. Said Lucchino, "You have to have some potential help from your pitching in Triple-A in every season. I think we have some pretty good arms down there and Pawtucket is actually leading the league, partly because the pitching has been quite effective down there." The second plan, of course, is a trade. While the Phillies are actively scouting top Red Sox prospects this week, there appears to be no immediate motivation on the part of Boston to make a deal for Cole Hamels. Lucchino stated, "There has to be a backup plan...to acquire some pitching down the road when the opportunity comes for trades. That’s not really generally the case in April." Stay tuned.