Boston Red Sox: 9 pitchers Boston could pursue

For an array of Major League teams fighting for division titles and wild card berths, the pennant race is heating up with the dog days of summer. In Boston, 10 months after a duck boat parade that celebrated the team’s third World Series championship in a decade, Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington is focused on 2015 and beyond.

Buried in the American League East basement and getting recently acquired players and prospects summoned from Triple-A Pawtucket acclimated to the roster, the Red Soxwill not be part of baseball’s annual October party this year.Cherington is confident that the club will be a contender in 2015, though, and he has told the media that Boston will be actively seeking starting pitchers in the free agent and trade markets when the off-season arrives.

The Red Sox have a plethora of intriguing young arms like current Major Leaguers Rubby De La Rosa, Brandon Workman and Allen Webster along with top prospects Anthony Ranaudo, Matt Barnes, Henry Owens and Brian Johnson. Joe Kelly, the 26-year-old right-hander acquired from St. Louis in the John Lackey deal, was impressive in his Red Sox debut, interestingly against his former team. The lone veteran remaining in the rotation, 29-year-old right-hander Clay Buchholz, is one of the worst starting pitchers in baseball statistically.

All of this translates into why Cherington will be actively seeking rotation help this offseason. The club can fill the back end of the rotation with young arms, but World Series titles are not won with inexperienced pitching. World Series rings are also not earned with inconsistent veterans like Buchholz, who could be traded this offseason if he does not show improvement in August and September.

Here are nine starting pitchers the Red Sox could pursue when November arrives:

Jon Lester

Yes, the Red Sox erred when they made the reported offer of four years and $70 million earlier this year. Sure, the club traded him to Oakland with Jonny Gomes in the deal that yielded Yoenis Cespedes at the non-waiver deadline. Yet Lester is comfortable in Boston, and perhaps the time apart from their ace will move Red Sox ownership to bring him back to anchor the rotation in 2015 and beyond.

Cole Hamels

If the Phillies make Hamels available, he makes sense in Boston. Hamels will be 31 in December and is signed through 2018 at $22.5 million a season with a $20 million team option and a $24 million vesting option for 2019, when he will be 35. The Red Sox have the high-ceiling prospects it will take to acquire Hamels, who would give manager John Farrell a proven frontline starter should Lester not return.

James Shields

The durable right-hander will be 33 in December, and he represents another proven top of the rotation arm that would be a fit in Boston. Red Sox ownership prefers three or four-year deals for starting pitchers, and that is likely what will reel in Shields.

Justin Masterson

Injuries have derailed Masterson over the last two years, and he is not what you would call a true ace, but the 29-year-old right-hander is effective when healthy. A second round pick of the Red Sox in 2006, he would give Boston a dependable middle of the rotation arm to complement Lester, Hamels or Shields.

Mat Latos

The Cincinnati Reds were reportedly dangling Latos at the trade deadline. The right-hander will be 27 in December and will be eligible for arbitration for the first time this offseason. Just as they have the prospects to land Hamels, Boston has the farm system depth and talent to pry Latos from the Reds.

Johnny Cueto

The 29-year-old Cueto is having a career year this season with a 13-6 record, a 2.04 ERA and a 0.91 WHIP. He has a $10 million club option with an $800,000 buyout this offseason. The Reds might not retain Latos and Cueto, so if they choose to keep Latos, Cueto could be traded, even if the $10 million option is exercised.

Ervin Santana

The 31-year-old right-hander is workhorse who has logged at least 200 innings in three of the last five seasons. He is a free agent at season’s end and would provide the Red Sox with a durable No. 2 or No. 3 starter.

Jorge De La Rosa

The veteran left-hander will be 34 in April, and though his career has been marked with injuries, he has been healthy the last season and a half. De La Rosa has been one of the few starting pitchers to thrive at Coors Field in Colorado, so he will be an appealing free agent target for the Red Sox and any team in need of a proven starter.

Brett Anderson

Considered one of the best young pitchers in the game a few years ago before he was plagued with an array of injuries, Anderson is still just 26, and the left-hander is pitching well for the Colorado Rockies. He has a $12 million team option and a $1.5 million buyout. If the Rockies exercise the latter, Anderson will be coveted on the free agent market.