According to Jon Paul Morosi of FoxSports.com [1], the Red Sox "have expressed interest in acquiring" both outfielder Shin-Soo Choo and starter Justin Masterson from the Indians in a trade.
Masterson, 27, broke into the majors with the Red Sox (under the tutelage of then-pitching coach John Farrell, now the Red Sox manager) and spent parts of two seasons with them as a starter and reliever before being sent to Cleveland in the trade that landed Victor Martinez in Boston. The sinkerballer went 11-15 with a 4.93 ERA in 34 starts with 6.9 strikeouts and 3.8 walks per ninning over 206 frames in 2012, a step back from an excellent 2011 season in which he went 12-10 with a 3.21 ERA, 6.6 strikeouts and 2.7 walks per nine in 216 innings. The right-hander will remain under team control for two more seasons before reaching free-agent eligibility after the 2014 season.
Choo, 30, hit .283/.373/.441/.815 with 16 homers and 21 steals in 155 games as the Indians right-fielder in 2012. The Scott Boras client will be eligible for free agency after the 2013 season. He would be in line for a healthy raise from the $4.9 million he made in 2012.
The Sox are in the market for one starting pitcher and two outfielders.
For more Red Sox coverage, visit weei.com/redsox [2].
Links:
[1] http://mlbbuzz.yardbarker.com/blog/mlbbuzz/article/sources_red_sox_interested_in_masterson_choo/12160756
[2] http://www.weei.com/redsox
[3] http://www.weei.com/category/boston/red-sox