Red Sox Could Pursue Four-Time All-Star Attempting MLB Comeback To Bolster Rotation

Boston could use another arm

Scott Neville | Jan 27, 2023

Red Sox Could Pursue Four-Time All-Star Attempting MLB Comeback To Bolster Rotation /

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Boston Red Sox

Could the Boston Red Sox continue their trend of attempting to turn back the clock with former All-Stars?

Boston already added aging veterans Chris Martin, Kenley Jansen, Justin Turner and Corey Kluber this offseason. Another could be on the way.

"Cole Hamels threw for teams today in Arlington, Texas, and was said to look 'insanely good,' " the New York Post's Jon Heyman tweeted Friday. "Predicts he will receive interest off this session. 88-91 mph."

Heyman also noted that Hamels appeared to be drawing serious interest from teams, though he did not note which teams attended his throwing session.

Hamels took the last two seasons off and only appeared in one game during the shortened 2020 season.

The 39-year-old's last true season was in 2019, when he posted a 7-7 record with a 3.81 ERA, 143-to-56 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .260 batting average against and 116 ERA+ in 141 2/3 innings across 27 starts for the Chicago Cubs.

Hamels was an above-average starter in his last full season, but that was four seasons ago.

The Red Sox currently have Kluber, Chris Sale, Nick Pivetta, Garrett Whitlock, Brayan Bello, Tanner Houck and James Paxton as rotation candidates with Kutter Crawford and Josh Winckowski as potential depth options.

While Boston's rotation is far from loaded, Hamels does not have a clear place on the roster. He'd be just another guy in a group full of projected back-end-caliber starters.

More MLB: Red Sox Add Intriguing Left-Handed Reliever To Bolster Bullpen After Big Trade

Published Jan 27, 2023

SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the Boston Red Sox for Sports Illustrated's new page "Inside The Red Sox." Before starting "Inside The Red Sox", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer. His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join the Sports Illustrated Media Group in his current endeavor as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox." The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Red Sox" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu