Now that the Red Sox have named Jonathan Papelbon their closer, could a trade of Joel Piñero be possible? Some teams have sent scouts to watch him pitch. One of those teams is the Cincinnati Reds according to Jeff Horrigan of the Boston Herald. Since the Reds don’t have a closer yet because of Eddie Guardado’s surgery last season, they haven’t had much success finding someone to fill the role. Given the cheapness of Piñero’s contract and the stingier Reds, his contract may fit into the Reds spending plans. I am not sure who the Red Sox would be looking for to get from the Reds but one person I know they won’t get is the Reds top prospect, Homer Bailey. Maybe the Red Sox could ask for Mark Bellhorn. Just kidding, we definitely don’t need to watch his ass strike out all season.
Josh Beckett pitched well in his outing against his former team, the Florida Marlins. He threw 7 innings of 3 hit ball, string out 7, walking 3 in 92 pitches. He did allow an unearned run. Beckett also hit a batter in the ribs, which could have been a retaliation because Kevin Youkilis was clipped by a Marlins baserunner at first base. It was nice to see Beckett bounce back from that god awful 5th inning that he had in his last start. With the Red Sox not having any other off days this week, he was able to get his work in the day before the game. If Beckett can continue these types of pitching performances, the Red Sox will be in good shape as the season rolls around. He does need to trust Varitek more. And hopefully he does. Tek calls one of the best games out their and will only help in Beckett’s development.
