Aside from Jason Bay, Clay Buchholz is the most talked about player on the Red Sox this offseason. He showed at the end of last season that he is a legit # 3 starter. As the Herald notes; he is also key to landing some big names:
He is the most marketable, desirable chip the Red Sox have at their disposal, and if they want to acquire anyone on par with Gonzalez and Halladay, they’re probably going to have to include Buchholz
The Red Sox could fill Buchholz’s spot with John Lackey and sign Ben Sheets as insurance. The team needs a big bat right now and Adrian Gonzalez is the best option, but the Sox are going to need to part with Buchholz to get him.
Good, young starting pitchers are hard to find so trading a guy like Buchholz is a very difficult choice. If the Red Sox choose to keep him they will have a solid starter for years to come but give up any real chance of winning it all next year. There is no way the Sox win in 2010 by bringing back the same lineup that is one year older. The Red Sox have guys like Bowden and Tazawa that could become good MLB starters and join the future Red Sox rotation but that is not a given, Clay Buchholz has already arrived. Which would anger you more: trading Clay Buchholz this offseason or bringing back the same lineup?
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