How about Wade Miller? He's was comparable to Penny. How did that work out? Bartolo Colon? He actually won a Cy Young. Going further back there was Ramon Martinez. Penny is every bit as likely to fail as those others and either rot on the DL or just stink. Penny is not a low risk move. He is a high risk move, because he is a long shot to return to form. The fact that he will not pitch much if he bombs out doesn't make it a low risk move. Who will take his place when he is rotting on the DL... Clay Bucholz who cost the team the AL East Crown in 2008 or David Pauley? I am gagging. By going with Penny who has a high probability of failing, the FO is eschewing other more reliable options who will not be available in May when Penny bombs out. Declining to pursue a reliable option in favor of a pitcher who has a high probability of failing doesn't seem like a low risk baseball move to me. Yes, it is low cost, but not low risk to the objective of winning.