By Sam Nipatnantaporn 11-17-14
The 2014 season was a disappointing year for Red Sox fans after coming off a World Series high. The decline in offense prompted Boston to make a move, which resulted in the acquisition of Yoenis Cespedes from the Oakland A’s. With power hitters being hard to come by, it seems unlikely that Ben Cherington is willing to give up the current middle-of-the-lineup threat. However, The Red Sox have an ample amount of outfielders – Cespedes, Daniel Nava, Jackie Bradley Jr., Shane Victorino, Mookie Betts, and Allen Craig are all candidates vying for playing time.
What wouldn’t be surprising is if Cespedes is traded for the much needed starting pitching. Clay Buchholz has since confirmed his inconsistency; and a rotation without Jon Lester, John Lackey, and even Jake Peavy, will be costly in 2015. The Red Sox need at least two more qualifying arms for, hopefully, a fruitful next season. A possible blockbuster trade that could put the Red Sox in contention is Cespedes to the Seattle Mariners for 22-year-old Taijuan Walker.
Although Cespedes has struggled at Safeco Field batting .138 in 22 games, he could undoubtedly revamp the Mariners’ lineup and be beneficial in their outfield. Cespedes has one year left on his contract and will hit free agency after 2015. His representation team, Roc Nation Sports, already has a relationship with Seattle through their dealings with Robinson Cano last winter. They would be in a good position to extend Cespedes’ contract and lock him in with the Mariners.
The surplus in the Red Sox outfield gives trading Cespedes for Walker an opportunity to bring forth a powerful arm to the Boston rotation. Walker endured a shoulder injury last season, but still had a 2.61 ERA in 8 appearances over 38 innings. It will be interesting to see if Cherington chooses to keep Cespedes or use him as a trading chip for pitching.