Red Sox out on Kenta Maeda

The Red Sox will not be involved in the bidding war for Japanese pitcher Kenta Maeda according to a report from Rob Bradford.

It's anyone's guess at this point whether the Red Sox will make any changes to their rotation before spring training. Dave Dombrowski has come right out and said he doesn't expect it, but the offseason is the offseason, and you can't really put much faith in statements like that around this time of year. Maeda, for what it's worth, would have been an interesting addition to the pitching staff. As someone who's never pitched in the majors before, Maeda isn't exactly the most reliable addition. But strictly speaking he's viewed as a middle-of-the-rotation arm, which is around the talent level the Sox could stand to add.

Still, it's not surprising to see them avoid that market. Between his posting fee and contract, Maeda is likely to cost somewhere in the vicinity of, say, a pitcher like Jeff Samardzija, which this year has proven to cost quite a bit. And after having paid out $217 million to David Price while keeping their young talent, top four prospects, and 2016 draft pick, if the Red Sox are looking to make a significant addition to their rotation, it would be surprising if they did so by adding more to payroll rather that hitting up the trade market.

For now, Boston's biggest concern will be whether or not Maeda ends up on some other AL East team. The Yankees have been reluctant to spend big this offseason, and Maeda could fit right in the sweet spot, with a chance to be a significant addition to their rotation without having to dive too deep into an expensive free agent market. Time will tell.