Nick Cafardo from the Boston Globe had a very interesting article on Sunday saying that the Red Sox should get an extension done with Curt Schilling. I definitely have to agree with him on that one.
To me while Schill hasn’t been as consistent as he has liked, he has pitched like a champion. His work ethic is second to none and he makes sure he corrects what was flawed in his last start. It would be a smart decision for the Sox to sign him and keep a great rotation together.
Say Tim Wakefield stays next season and the Red Sox re-sign Schill, the Red Sox would enter the season with Schill, Wake, Josh Beckett, Dice-K and most likely Jon Lester. If Wake retires, you still have a solid core of 4 strong pitchers. As Cafardo states in his article, Carlos Zambrano, Mark Buerhle, Dontrelle Willis are all available at the end of the season as free agents. And besides Lester, you also have Kason Gabbard and Clay Buchholz waiting in the wings. My best guess is that Gabbard could be used in a trade given his value as a lefty starter.
Adding any one of those free agents to the last group of four I mentioned would make this rotation one of the best again. But with Schill signed for next season (hopefully), the Red Sox already know they will be getting a workhorse who will not hurt the team and give them solid starts night in and night out.
If it were up to me, I’d have him signed now so that Curt and the Red Sox can focus on what matters. Another World Series win.
