Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Red Sox Offseason Update: Andrew Bailey, "10 things"

Ten things I like about the Red Sox' acquisition of Andrew Bailey


1. He's young. At only 27, Bailey has had 3 seasons' worth of MLB experience.
2. He's good. In those three seasons, he has a 2.07 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, and has 21 BB in 75 IP.
3. He's NOT Jonathan Papelbon.
4. He's way cheaper than Jonathan Papelbon. (He's made $1.3 million in 3 years, which is significantly lower than the four-year, $50 million deal Papelbon received with the Phillies.)
5. We didn't really give up anything. The Red Sox traded Josh Reddick and two prospects (so basically Reddick), and we have enough young right fielders where we can afford to trade away one...or five, if we want.
6. Ben Cherington means business. Theo came to Boston with a plan, and that plan succeeded, and it looks like Cherington is following a similar MO now that he's at the helm.
7. The pitching just keeps getting better. You really can never have too much pitching, as we've seen with the career-long demise of Daisuke Matsuzaka, the frailty of Tim Wakefield, and all of the shenanigans that went on in the Boston clubhouse this year.
8. The 2012 Red Sox are a new team. With the many offseason moves made, it will be a different look for the Red Sox as they celebrate the 100th anniversary of Fenway Park, which will help to diminish what happened in 2011.
9. Daniel Bard gets to start. With Mark Melancon sliding into the setup man role, Bard can move to the starting rotation. Which I really like because it will force Bard to think like a pitcher, instead of pumping 98-mph fastballs across the plate in one inning of work.
10. "You ever drunk Bailey's from a shoe?"

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