The bullpen will be a major focus of the Sox brass this offseason. Outside of Papelbon and Bard there was a big lack of consistency in the pen in 2010 and a major reworking could be in store. Aside from the pen, there are some big name free agents the Sox may try to bring in. Instead of dishing out another couple million for some of the bigger name relievers (Soriano, Rauch, Fuentes etc…) there may be some cheap alternatives available at a low risk cost with some surprising upside.
As absolutely insane as it sounds, Dontrelle Willis could be one of those options.
The key here is understanding that Willis is a reliever and no longer a starter. At this point in his career he has proven ineffective in a starting capacity. However, there is a small segment of his statistics that shows he can be effective in a specific role. Specifically, against left-handed hitters.
Despite not fairing well against right-handed hitters and showing big issues with control, Willis was actually dominant against lefties this past season
86 TBF, 12.86 K/9, 3.43 BB/9, 0.43 HR/9, 2.42 xFIP
Willis struck out 30 of 86 batters faced while walking only eight. As a contrast, Willis struck out only 11 of 230 right-handed hitters faced while walking 48.
The big part of Willis’ game is his mental game. When things were going good years ago in Florida, he was appearing in MLB commercials with a big smile that exemplified the joy and youth of baseball. When things changed and started to go down hill, Willis ran into some major mental issues and was even sent down to single-A while with the Tigers.
Putting Willis in a defined role which gives him only one real responsibility –getting lefties out — would limit what could go wrong. Also, if he is succeeding with a winning team in a town that would love him for helping the Sox win, that could only be good for his mental game. Of course, the downside would be what could happen if he fails, but the lack of risk in bringing him would be minimal anyway.
By no means would Dontrelle Willis be expected to come in as the main left-handed specialist. However, given that he may not even receive many minor league contract offers this offseason, what do the Sox have to lose?
If Willis can come in and strike out over 30 percent of left-handers faces, as he did in 2010, he may be a bargain bullpen arm for the team that can convince him of his new role.
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evanbrunell: 
alexconvery: 
CharlieSaponara: 
I like it. Email Theo.
Is that still Theo@redsox.com?
Dontrelle is part of a bridge to…. BACKWARDS! Let's move forwards, OK?
Its so much much more than stats – its head too. Boston is a place for players who can handle Red Sox pressure. Mr. Willis will not be well served here, nor the Red Sox. The issue isn't limiting him to one role. Part of making Boston work is getting players who can perform well under this pressure, and who like it.
Players like, gulp, Manny.
Any speculation into Willis’ mental game is pure speculation, but all I know is that when things were going good his mental game was great. When things went bad, his mental game went bad. I’ll reiterate the point that this would be a no-risk situation with a reward of a left-handed specialist to contribute to a winning club.
Also, I can’t relate to your considering Manny as a point of reference here. He was a negative asset to the Sox at one point and it was a direct result of him being a head-case. When things were going good, Manny was happy and playing well. When things went bad, he gave up on his teammates and his numbers suffered. I don’t see how using Manny as a reference makes your point here.
Besides that, the point of the article was to show a low (or almost no) risk option that has some kind of upside reward. Hence the title “Cheap Alternatives”
The risk you run is
A) taking someone else’s spot
B) discouragement in the club house
C) continuing a failed pattern of picking up pitchers who were great once but are past their prime.
The reward? a spotlefty reliever – who has never been in that role, and has no background in it at the MLB level.
Manny helped the team win 2 WS. Nuff said.
I\’m not sure you\’re getting the point of the exercise here. Willis would have to earn a spot on the team and therefore have to pitch well enough to do so. The risk is a minor league contract, nothing more. If he fails you cut him with no real loss.
But to respond…
A) In order to take someone else’s spot he\’d have to pitch better than that player. Wouldn\’t you want the better pitcher?
B) I have never read a single report about Willis being a discouragement in the clubhouse. If a discouragement is having a struggling reliever, then every team has one or more.
C) Again, the cost is almost nothing. So who cares? We\’re not talking about bringing in Bartolo Colon to be the third starter.
Reward: a shut down lefty specialist, which just about every major league team wants to have on their roster.
Failed starters move into bullpen roles all the time, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn\’t. Again, where is the risk here to try it out?
What is the point of using Manny as a reference. I\’m not suggesting brining in Willis to be the centerpiece of a World Series team, but merely a \”possible\” piece to the puzzle. The Sox can ill afford to live in the past.
The Dontrelle Willis idea isn’t crazy; THIS is crazy: “Outside of Papelbon and Bard there was a big lack of consistency in the pen in 2010.” OUTSIDE of Papelbon there was a lack of consistency??!!??!!
I think I get what you’re going for here and I can’t say you’re wrong. Two horrible months out of six did him in. His ERA went over a full run from Sept 1st to the end of the season. I guess I just figured that he’ll be the closer once again in 2011 and I was looking too much past the season’s final month.
I disagree. It’s not a crazy idea … more like crafty, offering a phenom a minor league contract to do only what he does well. If being a very successful lefty specialist is all that comes of it, that’s more than enough. Way to go digging out that info.
Actually gorillaboy@redsox.com
I’ll update my records.