Help Is On the Way by Jared Carrabis
Sox sign Brad Penny, Josh Bard


This past week, the Red Sox lost out on their opportunity to sign free agent slugger Mark Teixeira. Their offer to the switch-hitting Gold Glover was around the $175 million range but the offer was all for not when the New York Yankees swooped in and signed the first baseman/DH to an 8-year deal. Would Teixeira have bolstered the Sox offense? Without question. However, first base and the designated hitter positions are not a void that the Red Sox needed to fill.

With Teixeira off the free agent market, the Red Sox front office looked to address areas that actually needed to be addressed rather than improved. With the top three slots in the rotation a lock and Tim Wakefield likely to start the season at the back end of the rotation, the fourth starter was an issue that needed to be and now has been addressed.

Rob Bradford of WEEI.com personally spoke to free agent pitcher, Brad Penny, who confirmed to the beat writer for the Boston Herald that he has agreed to a deal with the Boston Red Sox. “There were a lot of teams involved,” said Penny in a phone conversation with Bradford. “But I wanted to go somewhere where I knew we had a great chance at winning, and Boston is that place.”

Penny has agreed to a one-year deal with a base salary of $5 million with incentives included in the deal that can boost his paycheck to a total of $8 million if the right-hander tosses 160 innings in 2009. Penny has been selected as an All Star on two occasions and was tied for the most wins in the National League with 16 wins and posted another 16 wins in 2007 before suffering from a bothersome shoulder injury this past season. With the Red Sox medical staff working wonders on the shoulder injury of Jonathan Papelbon in September of 2006, the Red Sox will look to do the same with Brad Penny to bring his shoulder back to full strength in 2009.

Speaking of Jonathan Papelbon, the signing of Brad Penny will allow Justin Masterson to remain in the bullpen instead of being inserted into the rotation to fill the void. Masterson will begin the 2009 season with the big club as the eighth inning bridge to closer Jonathan Papelbon.

With Jason Varitek still without a contract and his backup from this past season, Kevin Cash, signing a minor league deal with the Yankees, Sean McAdam of the Boston Herald is reporting that the Red Sox have reached an agreement to bring free agent catcher, Josh Bard back to Boston. Bard was originally brought on board in 2006 but was later traded to the San Diego Padres after his inability to handle Tim Wakefield’s knuckleball.

The deal with Bard is a nonguaranteed major-league deal worth $1.6 million to serve as the backup catcher for starting catcher that has yet to be brought on board by the Boston Red Sox. Following Bard’s trade to the Padres, he went on to hit .338 in 231 at bats with 9 HR and 40 RBI.

-Jared Carrabis

Published on December 28, 2008

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