Bailey - Stay or Go?

[mvp 78]

The really solid closer may already be on this team and may not require prospects or additional financial commitment.

 

What? I've never heard this before?!?

[Standing Room]

I could make the same assessment for Mo by cherry picking his bad moments and that wouldn't mean that NY made wrong giving him that money.

 

Don't fool yourself my friend, Pap's departure was a mistake and is taxing us in so many different ways. That's a fact.

 

You could, and it wouldn't surprise me if you did. But the truth is that Papelbon and Mo aren't comparable. Rivera is a once in a generation talent who's outperforming Papelbon at the age of 43.

[a700hitter]

I agree that Papelbon had a bad season in 2010. But I don't think the characterization of 2009 and 2011 is fair or consistent with how other players are evaluated.

 

The blown save in the 2009 ALDS came on the only runs he's allowed in 27 postseason innings.

 

We got swept in 3 games in 2009 so obviously the whole team has to share the blame. The same with 2011. Papelbon only blew 3 saves that season, meanwhile the team blew a 10 game lead in September.

 

By this reasoning, the Yankees have had issues with Rivera at closer because he blew Game 7 of the 2001 WS and Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS.

The attempts by some to diminish Papelbon's accomplishments and value are just absurd. Don't forget that Mo got taken deep and lost the deciding 5th game against the Guardians in 1997. Boy, he really sucks.

[Standing Room]

Nobody said that, but could heal several direct and collateral damages

 

Giving up more prospects and money for the flashy name with closer experience is not the answer. Been there, done that (Jenks, Bailey, Melancon, Hanrahan). Time to promote from within.

[iortiz]

You could, and it wouldn't surprise me if you did. But the truth is that Papelbon and Mo aren't comparable. Rivera is a once in a generation talent who's outperforming Papelbon at the age of 43.

 

If you look at the numbers, Papelbon is driving in Mo's highway.

 

Do not forget that he is only 32 and with 9 ys of consistency and durability under his belt already.

[iortiz]

Giving up more prospects and money for the flashy name with closer experience is not the answer. Been there, done that (Jenks, Bailey, Melancon, Hanrahan). Time to promote from within.

 

Not sure if you're talking about Pap there, but if so... Please, do not put his name along with those busts in the same sentence

 

Don't worry, they already said, that Tazawa or Koji will take that role. If the experiment doesn't work out again for us and if the option to trade Pap is there I would at least explore it.

[Standing Room]

If you look at the numbers and as I said, Papelbon is driving in Mo's highway.

 

Do not forget that he is only 32 and with 9 ys of consistency and durability under his belt already.

 

Papelbon's in his early 30's and just starting to lose velocity and you think he's comparable to someone still getting it done as a 43 year old?

[Bellhorn04]

The really solid closer may already be on this team and may not require prospects or additional financial commitment.

 

That'd be great. I hope Taz can be the guy.

[User Name]

Papelbon's in his early 30's and just starting to lose velocity and you think he's comparable to someone still getting it done as a 43 year old?

 

Dude thinks Papelbon is some kind of infallible, mystical figure. He isn't. He's a good pitcher, but come on.

[iortiz]

Papelbon's in his early 30's and just starting to lose velocity and you think he's comparable to someone still getting it done as a 43 year old?

 

You compered him, not me. It was just a perspective. All I'm saying is that he is still posting good numbers, for what he is paid for, which is to shout down the last inning. No more and no less my friend.

[iortiz]

Dude thinks Papelbon is some kind of infallible, mystical figure. He isn't. He's a good pitcher, but come on.

 

Mystical figure? Naaaahhhhh:lol:

 

He's is one of the best in that role in the past, these days and looking forward. He's proven. He's durable, and gets the job done. That's all.

[iortiz]

That'd be great. I hope Taz can be the guy.

 

We all hope.

[Standing Room]

You compered him, not me. It was just a perspective. All I'm saying is that he is still posting good numbers, for what he is paid for, which is to shout down the last inning. No more and no less my friend.

 

No, yo compered im. I would neer compere the too.

 

I could make the same assessment for Mo by cherry picking his bad moments and that wouldn't mean that NY made wrong giving him that money.

 

You could, and it wouldn't surprise me if you did. But the truth is that Papelbon and Mo aren't comparable.

 

If you look at the numbers, Papelbon is driving in Mo's highway.

[a700hitter]

Nobody said that, but could heal several direct and collateral damages

It so much more fun to troll when you misrepresent and misconstrue what others say.

[a700hitter]

The Sox need to start running the internal guys to the hill immediately for their closer auditions. First up will probably be Taz. As I said yesterday, he has good command of his fastball and secondary pitches. I don't think he has much movement on his FB which I don't think is very overpowering, unless in short stints he can find a few extra mphs. I think he could hold down the job, but he will not be a lock down closer. I don't think he has that stuff to be a lock down closer. Miller has the stuff to be a lock down guy, but he doesn't have the command.

 

They need to figure out what they have internally in the next couple of weeks.

[seabeachfred]

Bailey has been wearing a "danger-implosion" sign on his forehead his last few appearances. Amazing how a manager takes chances on a guy like that with the game on the line in a close pennant race.

They just get locked in on assignments and are unable to change direction quickly enough.

 

If you are going to make a guy so important saving game after game, you better get a good one--and pay him.

 

Well you know SoxSport why this is always done. Like FrancoMa, this guy, Farrellancona doesn't "WANT TO LOSE HIM". Farrell is a mediocre manager and many of us said this when he was hired. Perhaps ownership saw something special in him.....like he could be controlled and wouldn't rock the boat. It couldn't be his managerial acumen. He showed how inept he could be in Toronto.

[mvp 78]

Oh, I see. It's performance art. Bravo!

[SoxFanForsyth]

Uehara, you're up.

 

Looks like he's the first one according to multiple beat writers

[RedSoxNC84]

I knew I picked up Uehara on my fantasy team for a reason.

[iortiz]

No, yo compered im. I would neer compere the too.

 

 

C'mon man you are taking those quotes out of context.

[jung]

Surely the Sox will have to do something with Bailey either in low pressure situations or by putting him on the DL.

 

I really don't know what Bailey can do successfully at this point. In some sense Bailey has been aided by the many DL stints he has had. The league's hitters have really never had much time to look at this version of Bailey...the one that only has one pitch that he can throw at all....his FB.

 

Even if his FB gets better I don't think it will be good enough to get hitters that expect his FB out with it. Hitters are just going to sit on his FB....foul them off until he tires a little and then they are going to clean his clock...that is assuming he ever gets enough confidence in it to throw it for a strike ever again.

[iortiz]

DFA his ass already.

[italstallianion]

I wonder if Oakland would give us Reddick back for him. haha j/k

[a700hitter]

I wonder if Oakland would give us Reddick back for him. haha j/k

NFW they reverse that trade. I'm not kidding.

[jacksonianmarch]

Some may disagree with me and that's fine, but i just don't think closers are worthwhile investments in general.

 

A good closer with longevity will help you outperform your Pythag. A good closer in the playoffs is imperative.

[User Name]

A good closer with longevity will help you outperform your Pythag. A good closer in the playoffs is imperative.

 

....which you can find for less than $13 million a year. It shouldn't even be an argument, seeing how the last 4 WS champions have won it all with low-paid arms for the farm, and the Giants did it with two different closers from the farm.

 

Also, on what basis do you infer that a good closer is so important to outperforming your pythag? Where's the evidence behind this? A closer, by itself, probably has little impact on it since a lot of the times, setup men see the highest pressure situations in games. That theory is nonsense.

[wyo-sox]

I've wondered if they let relievers take on the role of both 8th and 9th inning as opposed to two separate "set up" and "closer" roles if that wouldn't work as well or better.

 

I would think think by pitching in the eighth it would relieve a lot of the pressure when you come back in the ninth.

 

Also it gives the manager the chance to see if a pitcher ain't got it on a particular night before it's too late.

[SoxFanForsyth]

There is almost a 0% chance that Bailey isn't injured. He's very, very clearly injured right now. Probably just doesn't want to further exacerbate the injury-prone stigma that goes with his name.

 

Either way, a DL stint is almost certainly inevitable.

[User Name]

There is almost a 0% chance that Bailey isn't injured. He's very, very clearly injured right now. Probably just doesn't want to further exacerbate the injury-prone stigma that goes with his name.

 

Either way, a DL stint is almost certainly inevitable.

 

I very much agree with this. He has no idea where anything is going even though the velocity's still there. There has to be something terribly wrong.

[Bellhorn04]

Looking back at yesterday's game, I can understand Farrell using Bailey. But I'm perplexed why he didn't use him in the 6th to face the bottom of the order instead of the 7th to face the top. (Someone pointed this out on the game thread.)