Say hey, baseball: Do the Red Sox need Cole Hamels?

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The Red Sox could use Cole Hamels, and please do not suggest otherwise. Hamels would be the ace Boston’s rotation lacks, and he would make the team better in 2015 and likely beyond that. Whether the Red Sox need Hamels, though, is more up for debate. They already have five starters in Clay Buchholz, Rick Porcello, Wade Miley, Justin Masterson, and Joe Kelly. The middle three have all produced number two starter quality seasons in the past, and so long as their health and the Sox’ defense is in order, that type of production could occur once again. Buchholz struggled in the first half of 2014 while recovering from a shoulder injury and dealing with a meniscus issue, but there are plenty of reasons to believe he’s in line for a quality 2015.

Let’s not forget, either, that Boston’s lineup projects to be wonderful: it will have Dustin Pedroia, David Ortiz, Mike Napoli, and newcomers Hanley Ramirez and Pablo Sandoval all in a row, with promising kids like Mookie Betts and Xander Bogaerts flanking the group. Rusney Castillo, who posted a 928 OPS in limited late-season action after signing out of Cuba in August, is there, as is Shane Victorino, who is still a tremendous player when he’s healthy. The lineup is realistically promising enough that the Sox don’t need an ace to join in October fun.

It has never been anymore evident that the Sox themselves believe this than when it’s reported that their offer for Hamels leaned heavily on the major league side. The Phillies want impact prospects as part of their rebuild, and the Sox mostly wanted to see if they could get Hamels without them -- they have their own plans for their kids. They can’t get Hamels without giving up on the future of Betts or Blake Swihart, considered by many to be the best catching prospect in the game, so while conversations can always be opened up anew, nothing is close at the moment and no one should expect them to be close anytime soon. The Sox will likely see how their rotation pans out, and if their lineup is as productive as advertised. Maybe in July they’ll need Hamels, but there are quite a few baseball games to be played before then.

And hey, the two can always meet in the middle to shift Cliff Lee and what’s left of his contract instead.