This is pretty much the worst news I could have heard today. Putting Papelbon back in as closer costs this team 5 wins at least this year, continues the organization's 20 year stretch of complete mismanagement of young organizational pitching talent, and plays roulette with the health of the best young arm on the Red Sox. Not being able to see through the ignorant naysayers to the real value of Papelbon really calls into question the intelligence of this organization. Even without taking into account how many fewer games over the next however many years we'll win, it's just common sense that if a pitcher has prepared all offseason and spring to start, you don't switch him out of the spot with 2 weeks to go before the season starts. This move offends me as both a Red Sox and baseball fan. It's absolutely unbelievable how reactionary and arbitrary the decision making has been in the last couple years under Epstein/Francona.
I don't care how good they are this year. This team could have been great. And this year could have established a core group of 4 starters to dominate the AL for the next 5 years. Now I guess I'll have to watch Tavarez suck every 5 days. Because of course also remember that apparently Lester's going to be wasting bullets on AAA nobodies for the foreseeable future.
Updated AL East standings:
1. New York Yankees: Unless Mussina is moved to long man.
Labels: sabesin2001
posted by John at
4:31 PM
3 Comments:
horrible, just horrible.
additionally, I don't even know if the short-term relief benefit equals the short-term rotation loss, not even considering the long-term rotation loss this will be. Can't Donnelly or Hansen or any number of guys throw a typical 30+ saves, 4 blown save season as opposed to losing the majority of games our number 5 starter tosses? This doesn't even factor the usual old-pitcher/Beckett-blister injury problems that are bound to happen.
If they want to convert him to the 'pen for the playoffs or something, fine, but this is positively whacked.
i wanted to see this rotation so bad. why did they take it from us? papelbon says he wants to do for us what rivera did for the yankees. well rivera would have continued starting back in the day if he ever got his minor league starting era below 4.5. if you have 3 good/great pitches and no glaring stamina issue then you start! also i would have posted a list of all the quotes about doctors saying he should not close, but dirtdogs beat me to it.
i'm glad they won't be pitching him now when he's tired. i'm sure he'll admit he's tired all the time. "hey paps, want to close the door on the yankees tonight?" "nah, my arm is a little tired, i'll watch timlin give it the ol college try"
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