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BOSTON-- The Red Sox have a plethora of pitching issues at the moment, with Andrew Bailey out for the season and ace Clay Buchholz currently on the DL for an undetermined amount of time. With just a couple weeks before the trade deadline, the team has prioritized relief pitching according to
Relief pitching is Boston's top priority with 10 days to go until the trade deadline, a baseball source told MassLive.com. That doesn't mean the Sox are taking a narrow approach: they're looking for starting pitching and third-base help too.
It might seem easier to find a reliever than a starter, but that's not a whole truth. Finding a relief pitcher who is hot at the moment — they're usually rentals — and who is not prohibitively expensive is difficult.
What the team does at the trade deadline is highly dependent on the health of Buchholz, who has been out since June. Boston recently scouted and did background work on Chicago White Sox pitcher Jake Peavy.
The Red Sox have also scouted Milwaukee Brewers reliever Francisco Rodriguez, who has been excellent this season. The Tigers are also in the mix for the services of Rodriguez, who might have a high price tag. Rodriguez currently has a 1.09 ERA with 10 saves, 26 strikeouts and a 1.05 WHIP in 24.2 innings pitched.
One name to look out for in the relief pitchers market is former Giants closer Brian Wilson. Wilson is coming off of Tommy John surgery and threw at the University of San Francisco on Friday. Wilson will hold a showcase event for scouts around August 1 in an attempt to grab a job for the last two months of the season.
More from MLB Daily Dish:
- MLB trade deadline primer: National League
- MLB trade deadline primer: American League
- Pirates trade rumors: Pittsburgh targeting offense
- Red Sox, Dustin Pedroia discussing contract extension
- Rockies' Aaron Cook shuts down season due to elbow injury
