A few thoughts as we wait out that anticipatory time between Truck Day and Spring Training:
- Is Roy Oswalt even really worth the effort? The guy doesn’t seem to want to pitch in Boston, and honestly if that’s the attitude he’s going to have, I’d rather not dish out seven million dollars to have him ship up to Fenway only to have him complain about his back all season. He only pitched 139 innings last year, and keep in mind that he’s never pitched in the American League. This is a John Smoltz redux waiting to happen. How about just saving the money and playing with options come July 31st?
- It still hasn’t really hit me that Jonathan Papelbon is gone. How weird is it going to be when that first save opportunity roles around and someone else comes trotting out of the bullpen? Pap certainly had rough spots over his last three seasons (this one jumps to mind for some reason, and of course this, and this). But you have to respect what he did: 15.1 total WAR, a career 2.60 FIP, and 10.67 K/9. He was a goofball, and there’s no way you give him the type of money the Phillies did, but I have to admit, it’s going to be weird to see him in a different uniform. Nothing will match the exhilaration of these first two chords, like the first notes of the Jaw’s theme, as Pap made his way out for the ninth. Best of luck to him next year.
- Your Opening Day lineup in Detroit:
- Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
- Dustin Pedroia, 2B
- Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
- Kevin Youkilis, 3B
- David Ortiz, DH
- Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
- Cody Ross, RF
- Mike Aviles, SS
- Ryan Sweeney, LF
- Listening to: Holocene by Bon Iver. Great to see Justin Vernon get his due at the Grammy’s, even if he spent most of the month bad mouthing them. Also, how can someone be nominated for best new artist when their first album came out four years ago?
- The Rays are looking scary good. The combo of Carlos Pena/Luke Scott wil produce more than the Casey Kotchman/Johnny Damon duo did. Add top prospect Matt Moore to that rotation and the Sox are really in trouble. They scare me much more than the Yankees.
- Is it sad that I’m actually looking forward to Daisuke Matsuzaka’s return mid-year? Call me sentimental, but it’d be great to see Bobby Valentine actually have an effect on the enigma of a pitcher. Plus, he’s a better fifth option than anyone currently on the roster.
- While we’re talking about Valentine and me being sentimental, I’m really rooting for the guy. I’ll be the first to admit that I wasn’t a fan of the hire, but the way he handled the press conference and his actions over the ensuing weeks really won me over. The guy cares. He has heart and he seems to truly be grateful to have won the job.
- As I mentioned with passing on Roy Oswalt, I’m kind of coming around to the idea of improvising the fifth starting spot until the trade deadline. I think Aaron Cook will be the first option to fill the spot, but if he doesn’t work the minors are stocked with at least semi-viable options. (Yup, “semi-viable”, you know I’m talking myself into this one.) If Cook doesn’t work, give Andrew Miller two starts, if he doesn’t work turn to Vicente Padilla, if not him then John Maine, or Carlos Silva. One of these guys has to turn out at least half decently, right? Right? Save the money for the trade deadline when they could actually add a viable (not just semi-) piece.
- I said this before the start of the season last year and I ended up being wrong, but I’ll make the same statement this year just for the heck of it: the NL East is wide open. Sure, the Phillies are the favorites, but their offense is looking worse and worse by the day, especially without Ryan Howard. The division is really hinging on the health of two starting pitchers: Josh Johnson and Stephen Strasburg. If both are healthy, the Marlins and the Nationals could definitely be in the mix.
- Watching: Beginners. Definitely a strange year for movies, but in all the Oscar hype around the Artist (didn’t enjoy) and the Descendants (loved) this small film by Mike Mills has been lost in the mix. Christopher Plummer is up for Best Supporting Actor, which is completely deserved. It has some abstract storytelling and interesting ways of getting details across (subtitles for dogs) but I loved every minute of it. Other suggestions: The Tree of Life, 50/50, The Future, and Submarine.
- Boston missed out on some great cheap relievers over the offseason: Hong Chih Kuo, Kerry Wood, and Joel Zumaya to name a few. Mike Gonzalez is still available and definitely would be worth a look.
- If I had to pick a World Series Champion today it would be the Angels. It will be a dogfight for them to make the playoffs but once they do, only the Phillies have a better rotation, and Philadelphia’s offense isn’t even close to Anaheim’s.
- Four months and counting for the Theo Epstein compensation….