So, the Sox addressed their most glaring need by bringing in Kevin Youkilis while only having to spend negative WAR players to acquire his services. Huge win. However, there is still a major need in our starting rotation as that part of the roster, outside of Sale and Peavy, has been wildly inconsistent, crowding the DL, or outperforming the wildest of expectations, which is unlikely to last considering we are reaching the outer limits of past innings pitched.

So who is likley to have a starting pitcher on the trade block. There are plenty of very attractive options expected to be up for the taking such as Cole Hamels, Zack Greinke, Matt Garza, and Wandy Rodriguez, but there are plenty of other teams in need of pitching that will be able to put together far better trade packages for their services. No use window shopping for a Porsche when you can barely afford a Volkswagen.

Two pitchers of interest could possibly be had at a bargain, but that is only because they are currently on the DL, so they carry greater risk. Ryan Dempster has been talked about, even by some of the Sox players, but an easier package could probably be put together for Brandon McCarthy, currently DL'ed for the A's where he has put together an ERA of 2.54 this year. If in Herm we can trust, as far as managing the shoulder issue, would you be for a homecoming for the former Sox?