Red Sox rumors: Boston focused on acquiring a starting pitcher

The latest on the Red Sox as the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline nears.

By Navin Vaswani

Jul 25, 2012 at 8:51 pm ET • 2 min read

The Red Sox have yet to decide how aggressive they'll be before Tuesday's non-waiver trade deadline, but they're focused on adding a starting pitcher, wrote Comcast Sportsnet New England's Sean McAdam.

The Red Sox -- 49-49 heading into Wednesday night's action -- will determine over the next few days whether they'll be buying or selling before Tuesday's 4:00 p.m. EST non-waiver trade deadline.
After Wednesday night's game in Texas, Boston travels to New York for three games against the Yankees, before returning home to face Detroit.
The team is "engaged in a number of ongoing trade discussions," according to McAdam.
There were talks between the Red Sox and Marlins about Hanley Ramirez, but a deal was never close to being completed.
Boston wants to acquire a starting pitcher at the deadline, but one they can control beyond the 2012 season. That means they're unlikely to land Zack Greinke, as CBSSports.com's Danny Knobler tweeted earlier on Wednesday.
The Red Sox are interested in Josh Johnson, but the Marlins' asking price is thought to be too steep.
Teams have called Boston interested in Jon Lester and Josh Beckett. The Red Sox are unlikely to trade Lester, and Beckett has 10-5 rights, meaning he can block a potential trade.
There are concerns about Beckett's character, and McAdam notes that at least one AL contender has ruled out acquiring Beckett because of concerns over how he'd affect team chemistry.
Teams have also called to inquire about the availability of Jacoby Ellsbury, Kelly Shoppach, and Ryan Sweeney. Ellsbury could be available in the offseason.
If the Red Sox pull off a few wins in a row, and seem postseason-bound by Tuesday, they won't jeapordize their chances for the season. They want to win now.
However, if Boston loses four of five leading to Tuesday's deadline, deals could be arranged at the last minute, as a number of discussions are already underway.
According to McAdam's source, teams are after the following Red Sox prospects: pitcher Matt Barnes, shortstop Jose Iglesias, outfielder Jackie Bradley, Jr., infielder Xander Bogaerts, and catcher Ryan Lavarnway.
Barnes, in 19 starts and 94 innings in Class A this season, is 7-3 with a 2.30 ERA. He's struck out an impressive 113 batters.
Iglesias, in 65 games with Triple-A Pawtucket, has a .584 OPS, with one home run and 21 RBI.
Jackie Bradley, Jr. has spent time in Class A and Double-A this season, and has put up impressive numbers in 101 combined games: .341/.452/.510, six home runs, 52 RBI, and 187 total bases.
Bogaerts is batting .285/.359/.472 with Class A Salem this season, with 13 home runs and 53 RBI.
Lavarnway has dominated Triple-A pitching this season, hitting .303/.386/.451 in 79 games, with eight home runs and 41 RBI.
McAdam notes that there have been no discussions among Red Sox staff whether to make any of these prospects available, meaning it's unlikely any of them are traded.