FORT MYERS, Fla. -- The Boston Red Sox are the summer obsession of a legion of fans around the world. At the very least, all of New England hangs on their every victory and loss, rejoicing over the former and hyperanalyzing the latter.
They have amassed a roster that contains several superstars, including a potential new one from Japan named Daisuke Matsuzaka, and paid them all extravagantly. The team's projected payroll of $160 million puts them on the heels of the New York Yankees, the vanquishing of whom is the single-minded pursuit of Red Sox ownership.
So now, heading into this season, intent on returning to the playoffs after ignominiously falling to third place last year, the Red Sox may be prepared to entrust their precious ninth-inning leads to ... Joel Pineiro?
Joel Pineiro?
As bizarre as it may seem to Mariners fans, who have seen Pineiro struggle for most of the past three seasons, the Red Sox could very well end up with him as their closer.
Of course, they might not, because the Sox have numerous options and Plan B's to ponder before their season opener in Kansas City on April 2. But by many accounts, Boston's preferred result is for Pineiro to seize the job and run with it.
...
...Pineiro learned the Mariners weren't going to offer him a 2007 contract, making him a free agent. The non-tender decision was not unexpected, considering Pineiro's $6.3 million salary in 2006 and his 21-35 record with a 5.60 ERA over the previous three years.
The Red Sox, however, were intrigued by what they saw from Pineiro late in the year after he was demoted into the bullpen: 20 strikeouts in 24 innings, a .213 opponents batting average, pitches that suddenly came alive. The Sox saw closer material.
"From our scouting evaluations, in short stints his velocity went back up to the mid-90s, and the action and life to his pitches increased in those short stints," Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell said. "I think the short stints, the aggressive mentality, fits well for him."
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