Starting Rotation Logjam – What Will Theo & Terry Do?
It’s good and bad – what to do with the Red Sox deep and talented starting rotation. When you have 6 legitimate starters, what do you do? GM Theo Epstein and Manager Theo Epstein will have to figure this out as Spring Training 2010 progresses next month.
Josh Beckett, Jon Lester and John Lackey are studs. They will definitely be in the starting rotation in April.
Clay Buchholz emerged as a consistent and legitimate major league starter as the 2009 MLB season took hold for the Red Sox. In 2009, Buchholz went 7-4 in 16 starts for the Red Sox. He had a 4.21 ERA and 1.38 WHIP and was one of the Red Sox most reliable pitchers down the stretch as the Red Sox secured the wild card playoff spot.
Daisuke Matsuzaka is coming off an injury-plagued 2009. Will he rebound and pitch like the ace that he was in 2008 (29 starts, 18-3 record, 2.90 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 154 K’s)? Or will we see more of the same disappointing Dice-K that we saw in 2009 (12 starts, 4-6 record, 5.76 ERA, 1.87 WHIP, 54 K’s)? If he returns to 2008 form, it will be tough to keep him out of the starting 5.
Tim Wakefield is a warrior and he made his 1st career All-Star appearance with his 11-win 1st half in the 2009 MLB season. But a back injury sidelined him for the rest of the year and he ultimately underwent off-season surgery to repair the problem. Wakefield may not be ready to start the season in April given his rehab from back surgery, so the question of who should be in the starting rotation could be moot if Wakefield needs more time.
The question becomes more pressing when Wakefield proves he is healthy. The pressure will be on Buchholz and Matsuzaka to perform well early in the season. If not, either one of them could eb bumped from the rotation when Wakefield can pitch on a consistent basis. Buchholz could also be used as trade bait if a deal for a young, superstar hitter (see Adrian Gonzalez) becomes a viable option for the Red Sox at some point during the season.
So while there are no clear answers, it is a luxury to have 6 legitimate major league starters on your squad entering Spring Training. Not many other teams can say that. Not even the defending World Series Champion New York Yankees.
Getting a little giddy here for baseball. Bring it on!!!
