So the Sox finally dealt Bronson Arroyo today. He has long been rumored to be on the trading block with his low salary making him very attractive to other teams in need of pitching help. He even helped the Sox out by accepting a lower contract to remain with the Sox as he probably could have gotten much more if he worked the system the way most guys do.
So the Cincinnati Reds is his new team. Does Cincinnati have the nightclubs to accommodate Bronson and his traveling guitar? Who knows, but he can't be too happy today, after finally throwing a decent spring training game yesterday too - his first good-looking outing we've witnessed from his this spring. But to me this is a no-brainer deal.
The Sox are stocked at pitching at the moment anyway and Arroyo was going to be a long relief guy out of the pen. He's 29 and doesn't have much upside. You know what you'll get from him - up and down, inconsistent outings. Don't get me wrong, I did like Bronson, but to get a 24 year old outfielder who could perhaps be a steal similar to when the Sox brought in Big Papi Ortiz is well worth the risk here. That guy the Sox are getting in return is Cincinnati outfielder Wily Mo Pena. He's already a slugger who can put up some tremendous HR and RBI totals if played every day. But being so young, he is raw and he needs to work on bringing up his average and decreasing his strikeouts. The same stuff Ortiz needed to work on when we brought him in. Did I mention Pena is also a Dominican? Meaning he's already friends with Manny and Ortiz! Talk about learning on the job from a couple of the best right there!
Now Pena is not in line to take over any full time duty on this team right now as the Sox outfield is very well set in stone at the moment with Manny in left as usual, the new Coco Crisp taking over Damon's spot in CF and Trot as usual in right. However, we all know the Sox don't like Trot facing left handed pitching so it seems likely now that Pena will be rotated in to spell Trot whenever the Sox face a lefty. Oh, and it just so happens that is Pena's strength - facing left handed pitching. Also any days off given to Manny or Ortiz to rest them for a random game, he'll get to see some time. This pushes Adam Stern back to that 5th outfielder spot now which is kind of a bummer after seeing what the kid can really do when we watched him playing for Canada at the WBC. But still Wily Mo Pena is a nice talent to have and develop and could really be huge for the Sox in the future. As compared to Arroyo who did not have a bright future with the Sox having all their young guns like Papelbon, Lester, Hanson and Delcarmen among others ready to break out and make their marks on the Sox pitching staff soon.
So in my mind, at this moment, great trade for the Sox right there!
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