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Nick Cafardo | RED SOX MAILBAG

Ask Nick: Is Zack Greinke or David Price the ace Red Sox need?

Zack Greinke went 19-3 for the Dodgers last season.Stephen Dunn/Getty/Getty

When Jordan Zimmermann agreed to terms with the Tigers over the weekend, one potential free agent target for the Red Sox was scratched off the list. Zimmermann, the former Nationals righty, seemed the most realistic possibility for the Sox among the top-echelon pitchers available. He’s not an “ace” per se, more of a No. 2, but if the Red Sox were unsuccessful in their pursuit of David Price, Zimmermann would have been a strong fallback.

Only Price and Zack Greinke fit the “ace” type the Red Sox are looking for. Johnny Cueto has too many questions surrounding the long-term health of his elbow and his subpar second half and playoff performance to put him in the “ace” category at this juncture.

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If the Red Sox don’t come away with either Greinke or Price, and can’t swing a deal for a younger ace, then what? If there’s a young ace to be had in trade — and that’s doubtful — the cost would be even greater than what they paid for Craig Kimbrel.

In the meantime, the Red Sox will continue to look for a taker for Hanley Ramirez as Dave Dombrowski tries to reconfigure the middle of the order in light of David Ortiz’s retirement following the season. There’s no question they need another dependable power bat in a power-oriented division.

Don’t buy the propaganda that Ramirez is their first baseman. They have to say that. He is only their first baseman if they can’t move him and they get stuck with him. We’re sure we’ll be hearing about how hard Ramirez is working on becoming a first baseman and how dedicated he is to preparing for the 2016 season. Believe it at your own peril.

Here’s the mailbag:

Let me offer a scenario to sign both David Price and Zack Greinke. Eat half of Hanley Ramirez’s salary in a trade to an AL team and concoct a trade that sends Clay Buchholz somewhere for a stud Triple A outfielder. That frees up $24 million, which would pay for most of Price or Greinke. Try a Travis Shaw/Allen Craig platoon at 1B. How about it?

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Mike, Hendersonville, Tenn.

NC: Trying to figure out the math here, Mike. Price and Greinke will be in the range of $55 million-$60 million per year (combined). Half of Hanley and all of Buchholz is $24 million. I think that leaves $36 million Boston is on the hook for, for one year of what will be two long-term pitching contracts. Am I right with the math? Suffice to say, it won’t be both.

Well, with the confirmation of Big Papi retiring, do you think this will change the current “Trade Hanley quickly” narrative? Would it not make sense for the team to find a way to keep him from doing too much damage in the field in 2016, then let him become Little Papi as the designated-designated hitter du jour of the AL? By no means am I any Hanley fan, but if he is healthy, last April showed he can still rake. Just need to have someone in the clubhouse to clip him over the ear every now and then when he misbehaves. Maybe they rehire Ortiz as clubhouse attendant and give that role to him! Cheers.

Gavin, Palm Beach, Queensland, Australia

NC: As we pointed out, Gavin, if they’re stuck with him and can’t move him anywhere, he’ll have to be their first baseman. But they’re trying really hard to move on. As for the clubhouse situation, Ortiz didn’t have much luck promoting that. As Manny was Manny, Hanley is Hanley.

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You mentioned in your Sunday column that the Twins might consider moving Trevor Plouffe for a starting pitcher. If the Red Sox could move Pablo Sandoval (maybe a bad-contract swap, say, with the Padres for James Shields) would the Twins settle for Wade Miley? Although Plouffe is a sub-.250 career hitter, he has knocked in 80 or more runs the past two seasons and seems to be peaking in performance while Sandoval has only knocked in 80 or more runs once (his rookie season) and seems to be regressing in what should be his peak years.

Jim, Westwood

NC: That would be a good swap, sure, but there are a few preludes. The Red Sox would have had to acquire an ace to make Miley available, and getting a taker for Sandoval probably will be rough. Don’t forget the Red Sox and Padres engaged in long talks for Kimbrel, so I’m sure the topic came up and nothing transpired.

Another way of evaluating the Kimbrel acquisition: Is there data about the frequency of breakdown between pitchers and position players, particularly firepower relievers. All this translates to the probability of losing it on one player; having given up on four — putting all the eggs in one basket.

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George, Boston

NC: Oh sure, there’s data on everything. It doesn’t mean you go strictly by the data that says relievers are volatile. You also have data that includes Kimbrel’s age, track record, etc. that made it a deal they felt comfortable with. They also traded depth prospects that would have had trouble unseating the young players ahead of them. So they made a deal for a young veteran closer with a great track record and gave up guys who are considered good prospects but may never see the light of day in Boston.

If the Red Sox can’t get Price, and stay away from Greinke, where will they turn?

Bill, Medfield

NC: They’ll have to take a long look at Cueto, but they would have to get pretty positive medicals to commit long-term. Cueto was a guy they loved before midseason last year, when word started to spread that he had an elbow issue. The Royals did their homework and felt this was overblown so they jumped in and acquired him. The way a Royals official described it to me is that Cueto was healthy for them, but there is a long-term concern about his elbow.

His performance was subpar for the remainder of the regular season and the playoffs. He didn’t pitch like the dominating Cueto in Cincinnati. When right, he is an ace, but whether it was a physical thing or adapting to the American League is something Boston and other teams would have to figure out. The Red Sox could structure a contract as they did with John Lackey, where if Cueto undergoes elbow surgery, he has to give them a year at minimum salary.

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With Dustin Pedroia’s injury problems and decline defensively, do you think they would ever trade him?

Jim, Lancaster

NC: Anything is possible, but I don’t think so. I think Dustin is still the leader and the person admired the most in the clubhouse. He’s a positive influence on the younger players. It’s hard to get rid of a guy like that.

How do you think John Farrell will transition back to the field after his battle with cancer?

Rick, Gloucester

NC: Fine. He was not out of the picture even during his cancer treatments. He’d spend a lot of time at the ballpark, especially before the game. He’s slowly building back his strength and stamina, and the hope is he should be fine by the time the season starts. This shouldn’t be an issue if his health is fine.

One of the things I enjoy is the three or four times I head to Pawtucket for the games. I love the atmosphere. It’s disturbing that they may move out of McCoy Stadium.

Sam, Manchester, N.H.

NC: Maybe the new owners will double back to McCoy. The mayor of Pawtucket is really trying to keep the team there and hopes to have a stadium plan to offer Larry Lucchino’s group. It seems Rhode Islanders want the stadium kept where it is, avoiding the traffic and high-crime areas of Providence. Pawtucket fans like the big parking lot, and the low-key aspect of McCoy. A refurbished stadium would be the way to go, where taxpayers wouldn’t feel the burden of a new facility.

I really enjoyed what Travis Shaw brought to the team. Will the Red Sox try to find a place for him this season?

Jennifer, Austin, Texas

NC: At worst he’ll be a platoon player who they can plug in at first and third. He has a nice swing and power. He may be one of those guys who needs to play every day in order to keep his swing consistent, so that’s something they’d have to monitor. In a perfect world, the Sox would deal Pablo Sandoval and Hanley Ramirez and make room for Shaw full-time at first or third, but the reality is both of those veterans are likely to be with the team.

Mookie Betts and Xander Bogaerts created so much excitement for Red Sox fans and they will only get better. What do you think the ceiling is for both players?

Barbara, Lakeland, Fla.

NC: Interesting question. First of all, you should always keep in mind that they could dip rather than get better. If they do get better, you’d want Betts to continue to hit 15-20 homers and improve his on-base percentage (.341) and stolen base totals. You would want Bogaerts to increase his power numbers because he’s a big, strong guy. Now that he has the confidence built up after his outstanding year, maybe he can do that. The Red Sox really need it.

Do you think Montreal will get a baseball team?

Jean, Montreal

NC: I do. It’s not around the corner, but if Tampa Bay exhausts every opportunity for a new stadium, then it could happen in the next five years. Montreal has its act together. They are close to having a stadium plan in place. The economic environment is much different now than when the Expos left town. Their feasibility study indicated they could guarantee a gate of at least 28,000 per game, which is almost twice as much as what Tampa Bay draws.

I still can’t wrap my head round the fact that Ruben Amaro Jr. is a first base coach. Obviously he won a championship as a GM, but the last few years were dreadful. What were the Red Sox thinking with this?

Frank, Philadelphia

NC: Certainly outside the box. The Red Sox were looking for a Latin coach who could coach outfielders. Amaro was an outfielder as a player. He’s been a front office guy, but he certainly knows the basics of how to teach outfielders. Quite frankly, there’s not a lot of work to be done with this group. Being a Spanish-speaking coach will have its benefits. He also understands personnel, so he could be an asset to Dave Dombrowski as well.


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