Should the Red Sox trade for Drew Pomeranz?

(June 2, 2016 - Source: Denis Poroy/Getty Images North America)
Evan Marinofsky
Contributing Writer

It's no secret that the Boston Red Sox direly need pitching to keep up in the now-contested 3-team American League East race which consists of them, the Baltimore Orioles, and the Toronto Blue Jays.  Among those teams, the Sox have the highest team ERA (4.26); That also ranks 11th in the American League.

The Red Sox have tried to look internally for pitching, but none have panned out. The only one who they haven't tried this year is Brian Johnson, but that's only because of his troubles with anxiety.

So then I guess it's time to look elsewhere? 

Correct, reader who probably asked that question in their head. And of course the first place to look is San Diego. The poor Padres are 27-42 (15.5 GB of first) and badly need a rebuild. Despite all of the bad that has happened to the Padres this year, there is one specific good, and it's in their starting rotation: Drew Pomeranz.

The 27 year old currently sports an ERA of 2.88 and is mowing down hitters out west. The trade speculation surrounding him grows by the day and with the Red Sox needing starting pitching, Pomeranz could be the perfect fit due to his ace-like stuff that he's shown this year.

There are many pros and cons to trading for Pomeranz.

The pros lie with Pomeranz having a breakout year. If Pomeranz came here to Boston, he could easily be inserted into the rotation and go every fifth day. If he continued to pitch here like he is San Diego right now, the Red Sox would have four definitive starters. If Pomeranz came here and pitched well, he could quite easily be the eventual x-factor in the Sox winning the AL East.

However, there are cons as well. Pomeranz has no track-record of pitching to this standard. He only started 9 games last year, 10 in 2014, 4 in 2013, and 4 in 2011. In 2012, his only full-year as a starter, he started 22 games and pitched to an ERA of 4.93. Also, the Padres will ask for a lot in-return for Pomeranz due to his recent surge and because many playoff-hopeful teams are desperate for pitching. The Sox have too many good prospects for an overpay. Plus, he's never really pitched in a market as big as Boston's before and during a playoff-run, that can really impact a pitcher.

A trade for Pomeranz would be one of high-risk, high-reward since they would most definitely have to give up a top prospect. Nonetheless, that doesn't mean it would be a bad one.

Should the Red Sox trade for Pomeranz? Tweet at Evan Marinofsky to tell him what you think.