A big thank you to David Wells for dropping his trade demand, then immediately turning around and demanding a certain rotation slot and calling his manager an idiot. Those two actions simultaneously make the Sox want to trade him again, while making other clubs even more leery about giving up anything in return. Well done, David. Well done...
And now it looks like that won't happen, as Bronson Arroyo leaves town in exchange for Wily Mo Pena. A couple of thoughts on this one. First, sorry to see Bronson go, because he was a likeable enough guy and had a great arm, but his head never did seem to be screwed on straight enough for my taste. This almost certainly means that Jonathan Papelbon won't start the season in the rotation, which is okay with me for now because he hasn't looked that good in the rotation and Lord knows the bullpen can use the help. This cleans up the staff to a great degree, and that's a good thing.
My other thought, however, is that Pena wouldn't have been my first choice. He doesn't fit the Red Sox mold in terms of patience (.303 career OBP) and is a defensive butcher everywhere he goes. Either Austin Kearns or Adam Dunn would have been my strong preference. Plus, this is a bad sign for the overall value of Mike Lowell. The only place Pena fits is in right field or at first base (though he has never played first in the big leagues). I don't see Trot Nixon going anywhere soon, not with the spring he is having and not with his right-handed backups slaughtering the ball. That means Pena has to play first (or DH while Papi goes back into the field), leaving Kevin Youkilis nowhere to go but back across the diamond to third. That leaves Lowell as the odd man out at $9 million per year. Great guy, great glove, but that's a freakin' waste of money. Maybe there are other moves pending (and please, God, don't let them involve someone like Juan Gonzalez anymore), but as of now I look at this deal as a bit of a panic move to shore up the offense
Other Sox Notes:
Get well soon Needlenose.
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