Spring Training 2009

Mental struggles, huh? I guess that is understandable because he did throw a no-hitter in only his second major league start. I like Buchholz a lot and that changeup and curveball are very, very good, but I hope he can work out the kinks in his mechanics during Spring Training.

Unless Penny shows he can be a valuable 4th or 5th starter during Spring Training, it might not be a bad year for the Sox to utilize a six-man rotation if Buchholz can show some promise.

 

Pitching-wise, they could be the best team in the majors. I think they'll start with Beckett-Lester-DiceK-Penny-Wakefield and Buccholz/Bowden in Pawtucket, Bard in AA, and making changes when injury/ineffectiveness comes up and when Smoltz comes back. Bullpen of Papelbon, Okajima, Ramon Ramirez, Delcarmen, Saito, Masterson, Javier Lopez is as good as they get.

And they might need to be the best with that offense in that division. Ugh. Could have used Abreu...unfortunately, nowhere to put him.

 

The same Brad Penny who is as big as a house, threw 94 innings last year and had a 6.00 ERA in the NL West, the worst offensive division in baseball?

That's the Brad Penny Red Sox fans are counting on?

God, I hope he is the Red Sox No. 4 starter.

 

The Sox would be crazy to make Penny anything but a fourth or fifth starter. Hell, I'd put Wakefield above him until Penny can prove he can prove himself in the AL and against the Rays and Yankees.

That, of course, could have its benefits because Penny was battling shoulder injuries last year, too.

 

Speaking of big as a house, how's CC doing?

I'm not getting in yet another Penny argument. He started the All Star game in 2006, finished third in the Cy Young voting in 2007, and was awful in less than 100 innings in 2008. We'll see what happens. Switch Penny and Wakefield in that hypothetical rotation if you desire...ideally, they'll have Smoltz or one of the Three Bs up there by the end of the year anyway.

 

Are you really comparing Brad Penny to CC Sabathia? Really?

That's some stupid shit right there.

Have fun counting on Smoltz and Penny. Not bad signings in the sense of 'why not?' but to be acting like they are sure things in the AL East is amusing. Very amusing.

 

Adam Dunn -- Wily Mo Pena -- Austin Kearns.

Didn't work well for the Reds in 2004.

Can't imagine it'll work well for the Nats in 2009.

 

But what will the Nats do with Pena's contract? Just eat it? Trade him to some desperate team for a bullpen arm?

 

If it took until the end of his third shitty season for the Red Sox to dump Craig Hansen, they are nowhere near ready to trade a guy with about 750 times the talent and makeup, penchant for tagging Penthouse models notwithstanding.

 

Couldn't have been happier when the Sox finally cut ties with Hansen. I liked the kid, but he was just going no where and showed zero signs of improvement after several stints with the Red Sox and AAA Pawtucket.