A pair of Sox
Finally, something real to discuss. The on-again, off-again Manny-for-Miggy stuff is boring and the "Patience, there's plenty of time" mantra from Yawkey Way is frustrating. Apparently, the Sox brass has been at work, just not where we expected them.
The latest deal was for Graffanino, a one year, $2.05M deal. This will be a good deal for the Sox. Graffy was one of the few good stories for the Sox after the All Star break (okay, after the trade...) when little seemed to be going right. Short contract, relatively low dollars is perfect for the FA who surprised the Sox by accepting arbitration. If he sticks with the Sox past Opening Day, a question in many minds, he is a super-utility guy who may battle Cora for regular SS duties. If not, he's easy to move because the commitment is not onerous to anyone who needs a productive bat off the bench or a decent 2B to fill a hole. His short-dollar signing also gives the Sox a host of possibilities if Pedroia is not ready for regular duty by 2007.
Slightly earlier in the day the Sox inked Julien Tavarez to a 2 year deal with an option year. This deal is harder to call. Tavarez has a rubber arm and can pitch on back-to-back-to-back days when needed. The downside is that he appears to wear down late in the season. His mental and physical breakdown in the 2004 NLDS winged him for the WS. This year was little different; his Sept/Oct numbers were not all that impressive. His control has gotten much better throughout his career, with K/BB ratios of around 2.5 for the past few seasons. He does not strike players out (K/9 is a mediocre 5.21) but gets ground ball outs (avg 15 GDP over the past 5 years and nearly over 1.75 groundball-to-flyball ratio). The biggest question mark is, as with many FA, the switch between leagues. His biggest successes have come in the NL.
Regardless, the revamped bullpen is considerably stronger than the pen of the last two or three years. Timlin, Mota, and Tavarez offer solid arms who have closed in the past. They are good insurance if Foulke does not recover. Hansen, Delcarmen, Van Buren, Arroyo are young(ish) arms that can eat up plenty of innings and, for the most part, throw the ball past batters. Seanz is a lefty killer even if there is no LHP in the bullpen beside DiNardo (whom I hope gets a legitimate shot). For once the Sox have abandoned the Dan Duquette of signing all the old guys who have questionable medical history and hoping one sticks. They've got a good mix of experience and youth, power and control, strikeout and groundball pitchers.
Now if only they can get someone to catch 'Teks throws to second base or chase down the occasional flyball into the triangle...
The latest deal was for Graffanino, a one year, $2.05M deal. This will be a good deal for the Sox. Graffy was one of the few good stories for the Sox after the All Star break (okay, after the trade...) when little seemed to be going right. Short contract, relatively low dollars is perfect for the FA who surprised the Sox by accepting arbitration. If he sticks with the Sox past Opening Day, a question in many minds, he is a super-utility guy who may battle Cora for regular SS duties. If not, he's easy to move because the commitment is not onerous to anyone who needs a productive bat off the bench or a decent 2B to fill a hole. His short-dollar signing also gives the Sox a host of possibilities if Pedroia is not ready for regular duty by 2007.
Slightly earlier in the day the Sox inked Julien Tavarez to a 2 year deal with an option year. This deal is harder to call. Tavarez has a rubber arm and can pitch on back-to-back-to-back days when needed. The downside is that he appears to wear down late in the season. His mental and physical breakdown in the 2004 NLDS winged him for the WS. This year was little different; his Sept/Oct numbers were not all that impressive. His control has gotten much better throughout his career, with K/BB ratios of around 2.5 for the past few seasons. He does not strike players out (K/9 is a mediocre 5.21) but gets ground ball outs (avg 15 GDP over the past 5 years and nearly over 1.75 groundball-to-flyball ratio). The biggest question mark is, as with many FA, the switch between leagues. His biggest successes have come in the NL.
Regardless, the revamped bullpen is considerably stronger than the pen of the last two or three years. Timlin, Mota, and Tavarez offer solid arms who have closed in the past. They are good insurance if Foulke does not recover. Hansen, Delcarmen, Van Buren, Arroyo are young(ish) arms that can eat up plenty of innings and, for the most part, throw the ball past batters. Seanz is a lefty killer even if there is no LHP in the bullpen beside DiNardo (whom I hope gets a legitimate shot). For once the Sox have abandoned the Dan Duquette of signing all the old guys who have questionable medical history and hoping one sticks. They've got a good mix of experience and youth, power and control, strikeout and groundball pitchers.
Now if only they can get someone to catch 'Teks throws to second base or chase down the occasional flyball into the triangle...
posted by Andy Vanasse at 5:56 PM
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