But Bard threw only 73 innings last season and Aceves 114. Getting close to the 175-200 innings provided by a healthy starter will be difficult.
“That will come down to decision-making in spring training,’’ Cherington said. “We’re either stronger in the pen, which can help your rotation, or we’re stronger in the rotation and hurting the pen a little bit. We need to balance that out. They both deserve a chance to show they belong in the rotation.’’
The Red Sox are hoping the inevitable gaps will be filled by would-be starters Andrew Miller, Vicente Padilla, Carlos Silva, and Aaron Cook. The wildly inconsistent Miller returns from last season. Padilla, Silva, and Cook are former standouts, now in the later stages of their careers, who agreed to minor league contracts.
The other player who could help is Daisuke Matsuzaka, who is recovering from Tommy John elbow surgery and could be ready for the second half of the season.
“It would be nice, I suppose, to have five perfectly healthy guys you knew for sure would give you 200 innings every year,’’ said Cherington. “I’m not sure we’ve ever had that, and this year is no different.
“We feel really good about the front of the rotation. We feel like we have a collection of guys who can win jobs and help us in the fourth and fifth spots. We feel confident that both Bard and Aceves are capable of doing it, not to say they’ll definitely be in the rotation.’’
The Sox proved that method could work in 2007. Matsuzaka (204 2/3 innings), Beckett (200 2/3), and Tim Wakefield (189) were the rotation mainstays, with Curt Schilling, Julian Tavarez, and Lester providing support. The Sox won 96 games and the World Series.
