Less than five percent of the Major League season has been played, but potential holes have already begun revealing themselves. It has been a question mark for more than a year -- and it continues to be one -- the Boston Red Sox have pitching issues as they make a second turn through the rotation. 

Boston’s record through Tuesday night (3-4) isn’t a huge issue, but in an American League East that figures to be mediocre (and competitive), they may dig themselves an unnecessary hole if they aren’t proactive. The Red Sox have the worst team ERA (5.90) in the AL, which includes a 7.32 mark from the starters. 

The rotation also ranks among the bottom third of the league in innings pitched, taxing a bullpen that has been, if only slightly, more effective (3.91 ERA, 2.45 K/BB and 9.59 K/9). Craig Kimbrel, acquired this winter from the San Diego Padres for Manuel Margot and Javier Guerra, rated as top-six prospects in the Boston farm system, and another pair of prospects, had an ugly appearance on Monday afternoon but shouldn’t be a long-term concern. The structure and effectiveness of the bullpen will improve when Carson Smith, who is dealing with a flexor strain, returns from the disabled list. 

The return of Eduardo Rodriguez, who is also on the DL, will add an arm to the rotation, but it’s not prudent to place the hopes of the season on the shoulders of the 23-year-old. He has fewer than 122 Major League innings under his belt, pitching to a 3.85 ERA (3.92 FIP) with a 2.64 strikeout-to-walk ratio and 7.2 strikeouts per nine innings. He was wildly inconsistent after debuting on May 28 against the Texas Rangers. 

Rodriguez surrendered one run in his first three starts (20.2 innings, 21 Ks against 7 walks), but from mid-June to mid-August he mixed superb outings with explosions of 9, 6, 7 and 8 runs allowed. In terms of Bill James’ Game Score, his two best performances were his first and second Major League starts. The Red Sox, however, were encouraged by his final seven starts when he went 5-2 with a 2.08 ERA and a 3.5 K/BB ratio.

The Eduardo Rodriguez we saw in his first three and last seven starts is a Cy Young candidate, but the rollercoaster of starts that came between may be more representative of what we’ll see. He may eventually blossom into the top-of-the-rotation starter many believe he will, but it’s too soon for Farrell and Co. to lean on those expectations.

With an offense that figures to be one of the most productive in all of baseball -- they entered Wednesday tied with Baltimore in runs scored (40) and fourth among AL teams in OPS (.807) -- and David Ortiz embarking on his farewell tour, Dave Dombrowski is wasting an opportunity if he doesn’t make trade quickly. 

The construct of baseball’s trade market lends itself to a flurry of moves right before the July 31 non-waiver deadline, but the Red Sox have a chance to grab hold of the AL East and get more out of their young players/prospects if they deal for starting pitcher before Memorial Day. Dombrowski has a history of dealing young players for established talent; something Ben Cherington was hesitant to do. With the Tigers alone, Dombrowski swung deals for Miguel Cabrera, Max Scherzer, Anibal Sanchez, David Price and Yoenis Cespedes over a seven-year period. 

Keith Law ranked Boston’s farm system tenth prior to spring training, citing recent promotions and the Kimbrel trade as the reason for sliding them down from the top spot, which they inhabited last July. Still, Law ranked Red Sox prospects seventh (Rafael Devers), 17th (Yoan Moncada), 18th (Andrew Benintendi) and 38th (Anderson Espinoza) in February.

Those prospects, in addition to a bucket overflowing with young Major League pieces, are more than enough for the Red Sox to put together a package for an arm like Julio Teheran, James Shields, Andrew Cashner, Jeremy Hellickson or another starter that may find himself on the block.

Trading for a starter so early in the season is unorthodox, but it would also give the Red Sox a better chance to make a postseason run.