Farrell confirms Red Sox in market for depth starter

At times last season, the Boston Red Sox had more arms in their rotation than they knew what to do with.

Now, they may not even have five healthy starters.

After Drew Pomeranz's triceps tightness Sunday added a new concern to a rotation that may already be without David Price to begin the 2017 season, Red Sox manager John Farrell revealed Monday the team is continuing to scour the market for some needed starting pitching depth.

"That’s ongoing," Farrell told Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald.

Boston's rotation currently looks to be spearheaded by reigning Cy Young winner Rick Porcello, followed by December's blockbuster acquisition, Chris Sale. After Price, Eduardo Rodriguez and knuckleballer Steven Wright are expected to round out the bottom half of the pitching corps, while Pomeranz, who was still attempting to return to 100-percent health after receiving a stem-cell injection in October, was expected to slot in as the occasional sixth starter before his setback.

Due to their predicament, Farrell may have to rely on minor-league signee Kyle Kendrick as a depth starter from time to time, despite the veteran not having pitched in MLB since 2015, though Farrell admits he would've liked to see the Red Sox add another arm like the 32-year-old.

"Ideally, but I know every effort was made to try to sign that type of pitcher," he told Mastrodonato. "That tells you the demand for pitching around baseball. We were able to have one type of starter like this in Kendrick."