While Rick Porcello hasn’t been as bad as advertised, it’s time to let the former Cy Young winner walk this offseason.
It’s time for the Boston Red Sox to cut their losses. When the club acquired Porcello in the Yoenis Cespedes trade, they almost immediately gave him a four-year, $82.5 million contract extension. His career 76-65 win-loss record didn’t exactly warrant that huge payday either.
His first season didn’t amount to much, posting a 9-15 record with a 4.92 ERA, to go along with 149 strikeouts. Injuries played a part in his debut season with Boston, as well as inconsistent offense playing a huge role throughout that entire season. Little did we know the best of Rick Porcello was about to come.
In 2016, he showed why he was worth that entire extension, and then some. His 22-4 record complimented his 3.15 ERA. He also had 189 strikeouts while allowing only 32 walks. On top of that, he only gave up 193 hits in 223 innings pitched that season. He edged out Tigers ace Justin Verlander for the Cy Young award that season. He became the talk of the town that year, but he would never live up to the hype that he set himself up for.
His next three seasons went as smooth as sandpaper –– amounting a 42-39 record, a 4.81 average ERA, 514 strikeouts, and 141 walks in 568.3 innings pitched. While you can’t let the stats fool you here, he became the poster boy for inconsistencies through those three seasons.
With injuries and most importantly mechanical issues plaguing his prime, the team needs to cut salary from somewhere, and in this case, shedding well over $20 million a season for Porcello is not the solution. His time should effectively be over in Boston.
While it’s abundantly clear he is not an ace on a playoff-caliber team, he can be on a bubble squad. His market will be full for those ‘outside looking in’ teams who need an innings eater. Also, a playoff team could swoop in and offer him a no. three of four spot in the starting rotation.
While AL East opponents have had their fun smashing home runs off him, he will have a very robust market. Look for bottom dwellers such as the Marlins, Orioles, or a reunion with the Tigers, as well as the fringe teams like Mets, and Reds, and Phillies. Also, be on the lookout for the Braves, Athletics, and the Twins as intriguing suitors for his services.
