Craig Kimbrel to Boston

[Kimmi]

What's the benefit of him pitching against weaker hitters in AAA? I can't think of one.

 

It's not the benefit to him personally, but the benefit to the team of having more depth and more flexibility.

[Kimmi]

The notion of creating depth by putting ER in AAA is fallacious because it comes at the high price of weakening the major league rotation. The depth should come from Kelly starting the season in the bullpen. That will strengthen the pen, and he will be ready to step into the rotation if there is an injury or under performance.

 

Dombrowski has pretty much said, not in so many words, that Rodriguez will be in the rotation. I agree that he deserves to be. I'm just saying that there is rationale behind starting a young guy with options at AAA.

 

Having Kelly start in the pen and being the #6 starter is certainly an option for depth, but that also creates a hole in the pen that needs to be filled. That said, if Kelly can pitch as a starter the way that he did at the end of last season, he should be starting. Dombrowski has stated that he sees Kelly as a starter.

[Kimmi]

And Ben was so patient last year that one starting pitcher after another kept coming off the board to the point that none were left. His patience did not result in the market price coming down. The opposite happened. The price went up. A GM is not going to find a starting pitching bargain at the end of the off season. Supply and demand dictates that the price of good starting pitching goes up as less are available.

 

I'm not suggesting that Dombrowski wait until the end of the offseason, hoping for a bargain.

[Kimmi]

Each of these cases has to be looked in a very individual way. If Rodriguez played a role on an already strong staff, of course the rationale would make sense. He doesn't. He was arguably the best we had last year. In his particular case, sending him down would show a lack of any kind of sense. Some might even consider it stupidity. Of course a lot could change between now and the spring.

 

I disagree that it would show a lack of any kind of sense or stupidity.

 

Teams often do things similar to this due to roster crunches. As noted, it might not be right, but it happens.

 

Anyway, moot discussion because I realize that it is not going to happen with Rodriguez.

[a700hitter]

Dombrowski has pretty much said, not in so many words, that Rodriguez will be in the rotation. I agree that he deserves to be. I'm just saying that there is rationale behind starting a young guy with options at AAA.

 

Having Kelly start in the pen and being the #6 starter is certainly an option for depth, but that also creates a hole in the pen that needs to be filled. That said, if Kelly can pitch as a starter the way that he did at the end of last season, he should be starting. Dombrowski has stated that he sees Kelly as a starter.

I would rather have to fill a spot in the pen if Kelly is forced to start and start the season with the strongest possible rotation.

[a700hitter]

I'm not suggesting that Dombrowski wait until the end of the offseason, hoping for a bargain.

 

The longer he waits the higher the cost will be for a number 1. Hopefully, he gets it done early.

[cp176]

I disagree that it would show a lack of any kind of sense or stupidity.

 

Teams often do things similar to this due to roster crunches. As noted, it might not be right, but it happens.

 

Anyway, moot discussion because I realize that it is not going to happen with Rodriguez.

 

 

They very well might start Owens at the AAA level. Based on the spring, that very well might make sense. With respect to Rodriguez, we do absolutely disagree.

[Kimmi]

I would rather have to fill a spot in the pen if Kelly is forced to start and start the season with the strongest possible rotation.

 

But how do you know that having Kelly in the rotation won't give us the strongest possible rotation in the long run? It would be in the team's best interest to see what we have in him as a starter, IMO.

 

I'm not necessarily saying that I want Rodriguez to start in AAA. I want him in the starting rotation. But if Dombrowski decided to start him in AAA, I would understand the decision.

[Kimmi]

They very well might start Owens at the AAA level. Based on the spring, that very well might make sense. With respect to Rodriguez, we do absolutely disagree.

 

As I said in my previous post, I'm not necessarily advocating that Rodriguez start in AAA, just saying that it's not necessarily a stupid decision.

 

IMO, Owens definitely should start in AAA, not only for depth purposes, but also to become more polished and because having both Rodriguez and Owens in the rotation to start the season is too risky.

[mvp 78]

Yes, let's spend the first few months dicking around with the rotation and see if it all works out...

[a700hitter]

Yes, let's spend the first few months dicking around with the rotation and see if it all works out...

And let's go with Closer by Committee too.

[a700hitter]

As I said in my previous post, I'm not necessarily advocating that Rodriguez start in AAA, just saying that it's not necessarily a stupid decision.

Yeah, you have made that clear. I don't think anyone is confused about that. Others here think that it would be stupid.

[Spudboy]

Yes, let's spend the first few months dicking around with the rotation and see if it all works out...

 

Yeah I can not get enough of that act.

[mvp 78]

Depth doesn't win a WS, the front end of the rotation does. Right now, Rodriguez is the best pitcher on the staff. Unless they sign Price, Cueto and Zimmerman, there's no reason to have Rodriguez start in AAA.

[mvp 78]

If the Sox only get one SP this offseason, my rotation would be:

Price

Rodriguez

Porcello

Miley

Owens

 

Kelly would be in the pen. Buchholz gets traded.

 

I'd rather get two SPs and have Porcello and Miley be the 4-5.

[a700hitter]

Is there anyone on the international market who DD might be considering to head up the rotation?

[Elktonnick]

Who starts here, who starts in Pawtucket and who is traded (Yes they may trade a pitcher) depends on two variables that are unknown at this time. The first is of course whether or not they obtain one or two starters either via Free Agency or through a trade. And the second is what kind of shape everyone is in when they report to ST and how they perform in the spring. Remember Buchholtz had a very poor spring several years ago and wasn't stretched out properly and couldn't go more than 5 innings for quite a while. Who knows what kind of spring any of the starters are likely to have in November.

 

That being said I'd be stunned if ER isn't with the big club come opening day. If the Sox do pick up a starter, I think the odd man out is likely to be Joe Kelly who is as unpredictable as they come. It is probable that Kelly may be part of package to round out the club.

[cp176]

The whole concept of dubbing around with could be players when you have other options available is absolute ********. I am really hopeful that we don't see that this spring. If Joe Kelly and Clay Buchholtz aren't 100% ready to go, I really hope that they are the ones somewhere else.

[jacksonianmarch]

a700, Kenta Maeda is the prize of the Japanese market. He doesn't throw as hard as Tanaka did when he came over, but apparently has lights out command and secondary pitches.

[GomesBeard]

If the Sox only get one SP this offseason, my rotation would be:

Price

Rodriguez

Porcello

Miley

Owens

 

Kelly would be in the pen. Buchholz gets traded.

 

I'd rather get two SPs and have Porcello and Miley be the 4-5.

 

I'd put Kelly in instead of Owens. Not sure I want 3 lefties in the rotation. And Kelly has such good stuff that I'd want to see it play first, coming off a decent end to the season in 2015. He went 8-1 with a sub-4.00 ERA in the second half. Why not give him a shot to continue that trend? Owens I think needs a little more seasoning in AAA.

[Palodios]

a700, Kenta Maeda is the prize of the Japanese market. He doesn't throw as hard as Tanaka did when he came over, but apparently has lights out command and secondary pitches.

 

I doubt Dumbo waits till Maeda is posted -- ace is too big of a need for this team. Tanaka didn't make it to posting until January IIRC.

[GomesBeard]

a700, Kenta Maeda is the prize of the Japanese market. He doesn't throw as hard as Tanaka did when he came over, but apparently has lights out command and secondary pitches.

 

LOL, wasn't that the book on Dice-K as well?

[Dojji]

When Daisuke first came over he was hitting 96. He lost some velo or something somewhere in the second half of his first year here

[Spudboy]

I was a big Dice-K critic as some here may remember. At one point I volunteered to go into Boston and smack him in the knees with a bat to get him out of the lineup.

 

But I must say that I admired how he tried to hang on in MLB after the Sox. I thought he would have packed up and gone home to Japan much sooner.

[Kimmi]

Yes, let's spend the first few months dicking around with the rotation and see if it all works out...

 

I wouldn't spend months seeing if Kelly is going to work out as a starter, but IMO, he's worth another look as a starter after the way that he pitched at the end of the last season.

[Kimmi]

Depth doesn't win a WS, the front end of the rotation does. Right now, Rodriguez is the best pitcher on the staff. Unless they sign Price, Cueto and Zimmerman, there's no reason to have Rodriguez start in AAA.

 

That's not necessarily true about depth not winning the WS. Depth is not as important in the postseason, but teams that get to the postseason often do so because of their ability to not miss a beat when their regulars go down. That goes for pitchers as well as position players. The 2013 Sox had that ability.

[Kimmi]

If the Sox only get one SP this offseason, my rotation would be:

Price

Rodriguez

Porcello

Miley

Owens

 

Kelly would be in the pen. Buchholz gets traded.

 

I'd rather get two SPs and have Porcello and Miley be the 4-5.

 

That's all well and good, but what happens when one pitcher gets injured and another underperforms?

[Kimmi]

The whole concept of dubbing around with could be players when you have other options available is absolute ********. I am really hopeful that we don't see that this spring. If Joe Kelly and Clay Buchholtz aren't 100% ready to go, I really hope that they are the ones somewhere else.

 

If Kelly and Buchholz aren't 100% ready to go, then they should not be in the starting rotation to open the season. If they are 100% ready to go, then they should be. What if Rodriguez is the one who's not 100% ready to go?

[Bellhorn04]

Seriously folks, it is just way too early to be arguing about where E-Rod starts the season.

[cp176]

Seriously folks, it is just way too early to be arguing about where E-Rod starts the season.

 

I really don't think that that is what the arguement (conversation) is really all about. I think that it really is about who of those 3 gives us the best chance to win games on a regular basis. In my mind, it is very clearly E-Rod. Considering that, IMO - It would be absolute stupidity to send him to AAA to start the season.