The Red Sox watched from the sideline when pitchers C.J. Wilson and Mark Buehrle signed elsewhere, and did not bother to make a bid for Japanese star Yu Darvish. They also shied away from the free agent closers, deciding instead to trade for Oakland’s Andrew Bailey last week.
“Ben is listening with free agents, but that’s it so far,’’ said one agent, who asked not be identified. “I don’t think it’s an act, either. They’re hoping somebody falls to them and that may be it.’’
The Red Sox are far from ready for 2012. Outside of Josh Beckett, Clay Buchholz, and Jon Lester, the team does not have a reliable starting pitcher on the roster. There are internal options to fill the two remaining spots in the rotation but outside help is likely to be needed, too.
With seven weeks remaining before pitchers and catchers report to spring training, Cherington’s biggest task is improving a rotation whose collapse at the end of last season left the Red Sox in third place.
“We’ll continue to work and we’re actively considering and looking at starting pitching options, also,’’ Cherington said. “But we haven’t found one, yet, where we feel like the acquisition cost is the right one. That doesn’t mean it won’t come to us, it just hasn’t come, yet.’’
How did it come to this? The Red Sox have little room to maneuver in the free agent market because they will almost certainly exceed the luxury tax threshold of $178 million in payroll next season.
For luxury tax purposes, the payroll is based on the average annual salary of players on the 40-man roster plus medical benefits. The Red Sox are at roughly $176 million now, counting the projected salaries for their nine unsigned players, a group that includes Jacoby Ellsbury and David Ortiz.
Because the Red Sox will be over the limit for the third straight season, they would be taxed at a rate of 40 percent on any amount over $178 million.
