Brian Fuentes has 187 career saves to his credit, but in recent seasons he has seen a drop in his velocity and strikeout rate. While he wouldn’t be the closer for a Red Sox team that already has one with one more waiting in the wings, he could serve as a key piece to the pen. That is, as long as the 35-year-old lefty is willing to play a role for a team likely to contend in 2011.
Every team looks for that shut-down lefty. Former Sox pitcher Javier Lopez is filling that role brilliantly for the National League Champion San Francisco Giants right now. Fuentes could be such an arm for the Sox in 2011.
In 55 left-handed batters faced in 2010, Fuentes struck out 18, walked four (4.5 K/BB rate) and held a 1.27 FIP with no home runs allowed. For his career, Fuentes has a 2.73 FIP versus lefties and a 4.08 FIP against righties. There have only been a couple seasons over Fuentes’ career when he didn’t walk over four right-handed batters per nine innings. Given his age and regression in velocity, no team should rely on Fuentes as an everyday option against right-handed hitters.
Signability
I could see this going one of two ways. First scenario would have a smaller market team panic to sign a “big name” closer. Fuentes isn’t likely to come anywhere close to making the $9 M he made in 2010, so a team looking for a big name at a lower price — or possible trade chip i.e. Matt Capps and Octavio Dotel last season — could try and hand Fuentes a closer job for around $5 M or so. This is one scenario the Sox would not concern themselves with. The other scenario is where Fuentes looks for $5-plus M or more and a closer role only to find no team willing to hand him the money or the job title. In this scenario, he remains jobless through the new-year and is forced to lower his demands and expectations. At that point, the Sox could jump in and try to convince Fuentes that playing a role for a contender — as he did in Minnesota for a hand full of games — is the best option for his career at this point.
If it came down to it and Fuentes was willing to take a one-year deal for somewhere around the $2.75 Hideki Okajima made in 2010, I could see something being worked out. How likely is this scenario? Let’s put it at 25 percent, which is nothing more than a guess and nothing worth betting on coming to fruition.
Brian Fuentes is not an option the Sox need to purse, but he is an option to consider if everything falls into place.