The Boston Red Sox have officially announced that P Jonathan Papelbon will be moving back to the bullpen and into the closer's role.
All of Boston can let out a collective sigh of relief...the biggest hole on the team has been filled by one of last season's best. Papelbon was drafted and came up through the Boston Red Sox system as a starting pitcher, and a very highly regarded one at that. He throws mid-90s with plus breaking pitches, and had the ability to be a #2 starter for this team in time. However, due to bullpen issues last season, he started spring training last year as the team's closer, and finished with a ridiculous 0.92 ERA, 0.78 WHIP, and 75 Ks in 68 1/3 IP. He was arguably the best closer in baseball last year, but the Red Sox felt he could help them more as a starter this season. Given he also had shoulder issues towards the end of the season which shut him down, they also thought a the regular work schedule of being a starter would help prevent future problems.
Boston started to look outside the organization for a new closer, but judging from the lack of a trade, it appears the asking price was too high for the closers on the market. Their in-house candidates included Julian Tavarez and Joel Piniero...hardly anyone worth handing the ball toin the 9th inning. Relief prospects Craig Hansen and Manny Delcarmen haven't developed as quickly as the Red Sox would have liked, either. Boston already has a talented rotation of Schilling, Beckett, Matsuzaka, Wakefield, with Julian Tavarez moving into the 5th starter position. Hopefully Jon Lester will return from cancer to claim the 5th starter's role in time. Given the talent and experience they have there, moving Papelbon to the bullpen makes a lot of sense. They better hope the irregular pattern of being a closer doesn't cause more shoulder concerns for Papelbon, but I doubt they'd make the move unless they were fairly certain this is the case.
Fantasy Impact: For those who have already drafted, Papelbon moves from a potential #4/#5 starter for your fantasy team to your team's best closer just like that. This is big news for all teams since it's much easier to find a capable replacement starter than it is to land an elite closer. For those who haven't drafted, adjust your rankings immediately. Papelbon joins the elite closers such as Francisco Rodriguez, Joe Nathan, and Billy Wagner, and should be taken in the 4th/5th round area. Beware of more shoulder problems when drafting, though, so I'd still take K-Rod and Nathan ahead of him.
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