While the Red Sox do not need to panic at news that Curt Schilling will be sidelined with shoulder soreness until at least the All Star Break this season, they should explore other options for starting pitching depth in case Schilling is unable to return or is ineffective when he does.
At first glance, inserting rookie phenom Clay Buchholz into the starting seems to be the logical choice, though it seems Boston was likely to have Buchholz start the season in Triple A Pawtucket where his innings could be more closely monitored. The beauty of Boston's pitching depth was that they would not have to overwork Buchholz or their other young pitcher Jon Lester this season and would also have the flexibility to give regular rest to Schilling and Tim Wakefield, both on the wrong side of 40 and both who wore down last season and had to do stints on the disabled list. Standard thinking in the industry says not to increase a young pitcher's workload by more than 30 innings over his previous careers high in innings pitched, something the Red Sox have been careful to heed in developing their young arms. That puts Lester and Buchholz at a cap of 193 and 178 innings, including the playoffs, this season.
It seems Boston will certainly need to find another starter to take the mound on a fairly regular basis this summer, the question is who. Kyle Snyder and Julian Tavarez are two internal candidates already on the big league roster who have experience starting, especially Tavarez who served as the 5th started last season until Lester was ready to return from cancer. Minor Leaguers Justin Masterson and Michael Bowden are the Red Sox top two pitching prospects not named Buchholz and Lester, however neither has pitched about Double A. Masterson's name was prominently involved in the Johan Santana trade talks and it is generally thought that he will end of in Boston before the season is over, though he most likely projects to the bullpen.
The Red Sox could sign a free agent pitcher, though none of the options still available are particularly attractive unless they wanted to take a gamble on past health risks like Bartolo Colon or Kris Benson. They could also try going the trade route, especially now that Coco Crisp seems even more expendable with Bobby Kielty being resigned.
As I said before, there is no reason for the Red Sox to panic. They can start the year with what they have and look to give spot starts to Tavarez and Snyder. If Schilling is able to come back mid season and be effective, then they can start giving extra rest to Wakefield, Lester and Buchholz. If Schilling is unable to be a factor, Boston can see how Bowden, Masterson or any of their other minor league pitchers develop. They also have the depth in their farm system to make a trade for starting pitching before the deadline. Any way you look at it, Boston fortunately has the depth in its starting rotation to absorb the loss of Schilling to start the season and wait and see how things play out.
