The July 31 Major League Baseball trade deadline is looming, and it is clear that the Boston Red Sox biggest need is pitching.
Rumors are swirling about a possible deal for Colorado Rockies ace, Ubaldo Jimenez.
At first glance, Jimenez would seem like a great piece to add to the first-place Red Sox, but when you look more into it, the deal becomes less and less appealing.
For one, the asking price for Jimenez is very high. The Rockies are asking for two to three top prospects from any team in return.
The Red Sox would have to clear out their farm system just to get Jimenez.
Jimenez also seems to be a shell of the pitcher he was in the first half of the 2010 season, when he was as dominant as a pitcher could be. His velocity is topping out in the low 90’s in 2011. He was hitting triple digits with some pitches in 2010.
In his last 38 starts, Jimenez is just 12-15 with a 4.17 ERA, including a 6-9 start this year with an ERA of 4.20.
Another thing against Jimenez is that history has shown that pitchers ERA’s jump when moving from the National League to the American League.
Before C.C. Sabathia was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers in 2008 he had a 3.83 ERA with Cleveland. Sabathia went on to post a 1.65 ERA in his time with the Brewers. When he jumped back to the AL with the Yankees, Sabathia’s ERA moved back up into the three’s.
It seems that there is just too much risk to be comfortable making a trade for Jimenez.
Maybe he is hurt. Maybe the first half of 2010 was a fluke. But the stats show that Jimenez is not a top of rotation pitcher—and is not worth the prospects that would have to be parted with in a trade.
The Red Sox best move at the deadline would be to pass on a deal for Jimenez. Let him be another teams’ problem.
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