For those of us who went to bed early last night, we woke up to find out that Brad Penny had asked for and was granted his release by the Boston Red Sox.
There had been speculation that he might be designated for assignment with Billy Wagner joining the Red Sox today. Had Tim Wakefield faltered last night, Penny would have come in out of the bullpen to take over for him but that wasn’t the case.
Penny saw the writing on the wall and did himself and the Red Sox a favor by asking for his release. By doing so, he will be placed on release waivers today, meaning he’ll clear them on Monday. If he can find a team to sign with on Monday, he would still be eligible for the postseason.
“I enjoyed playing with all of the guys,” he said. “I played for a great manager on a great team. I had a great time. I enjoyed it. I wish things had worked out better, but that happens.”
“All in all I had a great time here. My shoulder is healthy, and I’m glad I came here. It was a blessing.”
Penny signed a 1-year, $5 million deal in the offseason. It was another of Theo Epstein’s low risk, high reward signings that didn’t work out.
He made 24 starts this season and was 7-8 with a 5.61 ERA. He was just 1-5 with an ERA over 5.00 in 7 starts since the All-Star break.
Brad Penny feels pinch, gets released [Boston Herald]
