Pap, Sox, Reach Deadline Deal

According to a source close to the negotiations, J-Pap has a one year deal in place with Boston for a reported 9.35 million. Theo and the Sox apparently waited until just before the arbitration deadline to lock up the Sox closer for 2010.

At just over 9 million, the deal doesn't put Pap in the "highest paid closers" bracket that he wants to be in....but it's nothing to sneeze at. T Murph says Pap wanted 10, Theo countered with 8, and this is how it shook out. That said, consider the source on that one.

Quick research shows that Pap now sits just outside the top 5 closers when it comes to salary (didn't Billy Wagner get 10 and change from the Braves right before his arm fell off?). There are still a number of closers making significantly more than Pap, with Mo setting the gold standard at 15 million per year.

Also, give some quick thought to how many mediocre starting pitchers make well over 10 million dollars a year (Oliver Perez, Derek Lowe (15!), Bronson Arroyo, Jeff Suppan, Dontrelle Willis....and I'm pretty sure Rick Vaughn made more than 10 per as well....yes, that Rick Vaughn). Tough to be too mad at 9.35 million for a guy to close out games for a 170 million dollar team.

So despite the "Papelbon fatigue" we're all feeling of late as a result of the running of his mouth, a mediocre 2009 by Pap's high standards, and the horrible memory from early October 2009......Sox fans shouldn't be upset with this deal.

Besides, it gives us another year for Bard to continue to wet his feet and pitch a greater number of close and late innings....and sets up the possibility of trading Pap in the future if need be (to keep him away from the Yanks).

I'm far from ready to swear off Papelbon, but I think this continues the Sox along the right future path.

Is it time for Spring Training yet?

All Hands on Deck

Clay Buchholz threw another gem down in AAA this morning, going 8, giving up 0, and striking out 10. Over his last 35 innings, he's given up only 4 runs, struck out 37, and walked 10. He is, in short, dominating. And Mike Hazen hasn't minced words on what he's seeing: "He's upholding his end of the deal. He's putting the pressure on and forcing his way. It's a long baseball season. Something's going to happen."



Which raises the question. What, exactly, is going to happen, and when? This week, the hot stove has suddenly warmed a bit, and rumors have been whispered around the league that the Sox might soon consider shopping an arm or two. Which means it's our duty as Sox fans to begin the debate early, and flog this dead horse until he's really dead.



The proposition isn't ridiculous, even this early. The Sox have the worst starting rotation ERA in all of baseball (yes, in all of baseball), yet are considered to have a glut of arms. And the thing is, the worst of the bad numbers have come from what we would generally consider the surest things, and the least touchable players: Beckett, Lester, and Daisuke. Penny has been average, Masterson has been better than average, and Wakefield has been outright good.



This puts the Sox in an unusual position, but not a completely unfavorable one. No one in the organization thinks that the dry spell for the 1-2-3 arms will last all season, meaning no one would likely be quaking at the thought of relying on Beckett, Lester, and Daisuke for their wins. Meaning that the Sox best performers are relatively expendible at precisely the time when their trade value is on the rise. Add into that counterintuition that John Smoltz is due to be back in June (but is a highly unlikely trade chip) and Daisuke will soon be off the DL (as early as next week).



So, the situation comes down to this: is there any combination of Buchholz, Masterson, Bowden, Bard, and Penney that you wouldn't mind trading right now? At what price? How many arms do we give up? Just one? Two?



To my mind, the rumors starting to turn up are just that: rumors. The Sox have learnt their lesson well on starting pitching, and are more likely to live with overkill than risk a shortage. But what about Brad Penny. That's the one that gets me. Might there be any takers out there? A relatively cheap, veteran arm? He's shown that the injuries are no longer hampering him. Even if he's not going to be the ace he once was, he could be a solid middle of the rotation guy for some NL contender, and at the right price. Might the Sox be willing to move him even if just for some more outfield backup? That would still leave them with Beckett, Lester, Daisuke, Wakefield, as well as Masterson, Buchholz, and Smoltz. A backup plan, but not a glut.



So keep in mind the rumors have already started swirling, and that was before Buchholz's last two starts. And like our personnel guru said, the kid is forcing his way. "It's a long baseball season. Something's going to happen."

Ft. Myers Update:

Pitchers and catchers officially reported to spring training this morning in Ft. Myers, however many players have been there all week (or even earlier in Jon Lester's case). Here are some of the biggest takeaways thus far....

-We'll lead off with a video of Tito commenting on the health of Ortiz/Lowell....

(thanks to boston.com for the video)

- Brad Penny threw a successful bullpen session yesterday and did not show any evidence of the injuries problems that plagued him last year. In addition, pitching coach John Farrell said both Brad Penny and Takashi Saito would follow the same pitching schedule as the rest of the hurlers in camp. Don't be surprised however to see Penny receive a few extra days of rest during the season in an attempt to keep him healthy for the long haul. Personally, I'm trying to keep my optimism surrounding Brad Penny in 2009 in check, but the aforementioned update is reason to be a little excited.

- Josh Beckett appears to look more like the JB of 07' and not 08' . His shoulder strength tests registered higher than 07' and he came into camp at 228 pounds....in much better shape than the "fat JB" from early 08'.

- I'm sorry, but the 41 year old John Smoltz looks like he could pitch on April 6th. Saw a video of him throwing a football and going through long toss drills and he showed no signs of injury. Granted it was not throwing off a mound or trying any of his breaking stuff, but he looked to be in good shape and throwing easily and with good velocity.

- Lastly, "Old Reliable", Tim Wakefield stated he is 100 percent healthy and "feels great". He also had a very interesting quote in regards to Josh Bard.... “Three years ago I never had somebody work as hard as he did to try and catch me and do the right things. He was truly a professional in his attitude and the way he went about his work … My comfort level with him never changed from spring training into the season … He’ll admit this as well, I think his biggest mistake was trying to catch like Dougie caught.”


All of this gets me pumped for ITM's trip down to Ft. Myers in early March. The trip will include lots of baseball, sun, chain restaurants, beer, and Heidi Watney updates.

Shifting Boston's focus from the Pats to baseball, Sox sign Penny, Bard.

With the Patriots officially out of the playoff hunt, and the Celtics and Bruins essentially on cruise control until the playoffs, the Boston sports scene can officially turn back to the Sox. Conveniently enough for New England, shortly after Brett Favre threw about 18 interceptions to make sure the Pats didn't make the playoffs, word came out that the Sox have agreed on deals with both Brad Penny and Josh Bard for the 2009 season.

Penny's one-year deal will have a base salary of $5 million but is laced with incentives and performance bonuses that can increase the total amount of the deal to $8 million. Part of the incentive is if Penny pitches more than 160 innings, which will require a healthy year, a chief concern for the Sox. Penny, 29, struggled last year with the Dodgers going 6-9 with a 6.27 ERA in 17 starts, he finished the season on the 60-day disabled list with a sore right shoulder. It is widely assumed he was suffering from a shoulder injury all season but did not mention it to Dodger management until later in the year (stubborn like Beckett?).

Most who like this deal point to 06' and 07' where Penny went 32-13. He has a career record of 94-75 with a 4.06 ERA. Personally I think this is a good deal for the Sox who have been looking to solidify their starting rotation. There is limited risk with a high ceiling of upside (see Bartolo Colon except with more success potential....and less fat). If Penny can return to form, the Sox would boast one of, if not the best rotation in baseball. The move will also allow for Justin Masterson to stay in the bullpen as the bridge to Pap.

Josh Bard was also signed by the Sox in a move that will get much less ink. Bard will likely serve as the back up (again), but his ultimate amount of playing time will depend on who the Sox have as a starting catcher on opening day. Bard hit .202 in 57 games for the San Diego Padres last season. In 2006, Bard served as a backup catcher for the Sox before being shipped to San Diego in favor of bringing back Doug "Dougie's going deep" Mirabelli.