One of these guys every 5th dayOk… spring training is about to start and everything seems to be falling into place. We have a guy with a glove at every position, a lively bunch in the bullpen, and whole ton of starting pitchers. Actually, too many starting pitchers. Schilling, Wells, Wakefield, Clement, Beckett, Arroyo and Papelbon. Barring any trade that’s 7 potential starters to fill 5 spots! Wells has asked to be moved to the west coast. That’s all well and good, but nobody wants him (nobody unless we take Woody Williams… lets just not go there) and Clement has been offered as trade bait to every team including some in Japan, but I don’t think we could get a bag of balls for this notorious head case. Looks like we are holding steady at 7. So what’s gonna happen with this mess?
Arroyo and Papelbon go to the pen? They are the most likely choices to be bumped, but that is a HUGE waste of two young talented arms that are only getting better.
Wakefield and Paplebon in the pen? Both have them have been effective in that roll, but we are still wasting the young fireballer and now we have to take Tek out in the later innings because watching him catch a knuckle ball is like watching dental work in slow motion.
I think one of those (if not both) scenarios will happen throughout the year. It stinks but I think that’s what Francona is going to fall back on. The only positive aspect about this whole thing is that NOBODY thinks this staff is going to remain healthy all year. If at least two of these 7 pitchers don’t spend an extended time on the DL then I think we should worry more about impending Armageddon than the pitching glut.
What SHOULD happen? Well… I think Beckett, Arroyo and Papelbon to travel around Boston playing covers of Pearl Jam songs and fighting street crime. Schilling and Wake will be the “kids” bosses and send them out on missions and gigs... it will be like "Scooby Doo" only with pitchers. I guess Wells can be Scooby and that makes Clement Scrappy Doo…
Wow… is that a worse insult to Scrappy or Clement?
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