Report: Red Sox Make Call On Ubaldo Jimenez
BOSTON (CBS) – The trade rumors are in full swing for the Boston Red Sox, as they will be until the clock strikes 4pm on July 31.
From Carlos Beltran to Jose Reyes, now the rumors shift to another big need for the Sox: another starting pitcher.
Danny Knobler of CBSSports is reporting the Sox have called the Colorado Rockies to inquire about right-handed starter Ubaldo Jimenez, although it is uncertain how interested Boston is in the 27-year-old, or how interested the Rockies are in trading him.
Jimenez is 6-8 in 19 starts this season with a 4.00 ERA. He is coming off an All-Star season in 2010 where he went 19-8 with a 2.88 ERA and 214 strikeouts. He is a workhorse and the ace of the Rockies staff, making 30+ starts and averaging over 200 innings the last three seasons. Jimenez has a career ERA of 3.59, which is that much more impressive seeing how he starts half his games in Coors Field.
Gallery: Red Sox Trade Targets
It would cost the Red Sox quite a bit to acquire Jimenez, who would be under the teams control for another two years. There really are no other top of the line starters on the market, for now, so the Rockies could ask for whatever they want. Reports are they have already asked the New York Yankees for catching prospect Jesus Montero and three of their top pitching prospects.
Of course with the Yankees in the mix, there is always the angle the Red Sox could made the call to drive the price up. Once either of the two teams get involved with a player, chances are the other will soon follow.
Boston's farm system is a little thin after sending two top prospects to the San Diego Padres in the Adrian Gonzalez trade, but it never hurts to make a call. It seems there is little chance Jimenez ends up in a Boston uniform, or any other uniform for that matter, but throwing around a big name like his makes the trade season that much more interesting.
