Ken Rosenthal is reporting that the Red Sox are on the verge of signing Brad Penny to a one year deal. Contract language and a physical are all that remain apparently. If this is true, the Red Sox rotation of Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, Dice-K, Tim Wakefield, and Brad Penny is a strong one. It would certainly match up pretty well with the Yankees rotation of Sabathia, Burnett, Wang, Chamberlain, and Hughes.
Boston has a track record for going for short term deals with a lot of upside. Penny, a 16 game winner in 2007 is a workhorse when healthy and a tough guy. If he comes into the season in shape and free of the lingering injuries from last year, he should give the Sox 200+ innings and a solid ERA of 3.50-4.00. I think this is a great job by the Red Sox to shore up the starting pitching.
I also think this is a great sign for the Mets as well. The only way I see the Sox being in on Derek Lowe at this point is if they plan on using Wakefield as a long man/spot starter. I do not see that happening. Especially because they still have Justin Masterson and Clay Buchholz waiting in the wings. Is a Buchholz trade on the horizon for a young catcher? We shall see.
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