Pablo is such a goner that the only reason to even think about him is to try to figure how not to pay all of his remaining salary. There's no place for him on future Red Sox teams. If they can trade him and only pay 80% of what's left to pay they should be satisfied.
Worth noting on this topic...
Who were the last 2 ace pitchers to opt out?
1) Sabathia. Would the Yankees have been better off letting him opt out? Yes.
2) Greinke. Are the Dodgers better off letting him opt out? Sure looks that way in the early going.
It's not about low expectations, it's about realistic expectations based on how long it takes most young pitchers to develop.
Dombrowski is a believer in promoting them ASAP, so you don't have to worry much about him being babied.
Max, Max...it's major league baseball...it's subject to forces of random variance that are beyond our comprehension...and every W is as good as every other W.
Holding onto him has worked out, that's for sure. Cutting him loose for nothing or little in return would have been a serious mistake especially considering our lack of depth. I guess you have to credit management for the way they kept him afloat this year. The roster has been very well managed this year for the most part.
The lack of news on Pap makes me think he is being a total jackass. He hasn't even pitched since August 6, so if and when he does sign with someone he will be rusty along with the concerns about his stuff.