Red Sox rumors: Boston looking ‘pretty hard’ at Cuban RHP Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez

Lucchino explained that the appeal of a player like Gonzalez is that he would satisfy the club’s pitching need while costing them only money, whereas any sort of deadline deal would force the Sox to give up much more:

“The main drawback [of trading for a pitcher] for us would be giving up the prospects. … That’s the hard thing. Reaching into your pocket for your wallet is much easier,” Lucchino said.

“We have some really talented young players in our minor league system, and Ben Cherington guards them like his first-born child.”

Gonzalez, 26, has reportedly narrowed his search for an MLB club down to five teams -- the Red Sox being one -- and is expected to sign any day now. At a rumored price of five years and $60 million, Gonzalez won’t come cheap, but if Cherington really guards Boston’s prospects like Lucchino suggests, then he may be worth it to them.

The projections on 6’2, 185-pound right-hander vary pretty wildly, but most agree that Gonzalez is a legitimate big-league arm. He boasts a four-pitch arsenal that includes a solid fastball, a fringy curve, splitter and a change-up. His fastball sits between 89-93 miles per hour, but he’s reportedly hit as high as 96 on the gun in recent sessions.

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