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« Brad Wilkerson Possibilities | Main | Teams Scouting Griffey, Dunn »
Colon Opt-Out Pushed To June 1
Informally, Bartolo Colon has agreed to push his opt-out date from today to June 1st. His contract remains the same otherwise, according to Alex Speier.
Colon's oblique strain basically set him back a month. He looked quite good in his one Triple A start on April 3rd. It sounds like Colon and the Red Sox want to make this work, but who will he replace in the rotation? It would have to be Tim Wakefield, Jon Lester, or Clay Buchholz.
None of them are pitching badly, though Lester appears to be on the shakiest ground given his strikeout, walk, and home run rates. As far as innings concerns, Lester pitched 163 last year while Buchholz tossed 148. Even by the "30 inning increase" threshold, they're both safe to make 30+ starts. Regardless of how they sort it out, this is a good problem for the Red Sox.
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Buchholz isn't safe to make 30+ starts and then actually pitch in the playoffs. They could always go to a 6-man rotation and then just stick Wakefield in the pen if they have too many off days. Dice-K wore out last year, Beckett has always been a little fragile, and Lester and Buchholz could use the days off to keep their innings down. I'm sure Colon could use the extra day off too.
Posted by: mymrbig | May 01, 2008 at 09:57 AM
The first sentence in the third paragraph should read "None of them is..."
Posted by: dave | May 01, 2008 at 11:20 AM
Why not trade Colon to the Braves while they need help??
Posted by: Lockey | May 01, 2008 at 11:30 AM
I think the Sox will send Buchholz to AAA just to control his innings. He'd be available if anyone got hurt and we could keep him fresh for the end of the season/playoffs. It's going to be tough to demote him, because he's pitched really well outside of one start vs. the Yanks.
I don't think the Sox would trade Colon at this point. They've worked all this time to get him healthy, so they'll want to see what he can give them.
Posted by: Papelboner | May 01, 2008 at 11:42 AM
And imagine Colon trying to bat and run the bases??? YIKES
Posted by: Papelboner | May 01, 2008 at 11:43 AM
The key is that the Red Sox want to save 2 or 3 starts and 15 to 20 innings for the post season. So Buchholtz especially will need to be controlled. Remember that he got a "tired arm" last year and had to be shut down. And he is a pretty scrawny kid. I'd be surprised if an injury doesn't sort this situation out. The Red Sox also might have Schilling ready in September.
Posted by: TALL THRILL | May 01, 2008 at 03:08 PM
How can they trade the guy Lockey?
He hasn't pitched yet. You aren't going to get squat from any team. Most likely he will be cut and become a FA in the next 30 days.
Seriously, any team that is "counting" on Colon is in trouble. It would be a bonus if he did perform but certainly don't bank on it.
Posted by: bjsguess | May 01, 2008 at 03:41 PM
Don't count Colon out of a semi-return to cy young form. I watched his AAA start and he looked great. Hes developing more movement on his pitches to make up for his decreased velocity. But last I heard he is back up to about 90-91 mph which is solid enough. So long as he can keep that fastball above 90 I can see him coming back and putting together some terrific numbers.
I'm not saying any team should count on him as their number 1 but to have him as a possible 5 or 6 starter if they go 6-man is unbelievable.
Posted by: Santana/Beckett FTW | May 01, 2008 at 03:58 PM
Bottom line is, he is a smart pitcher. He has been working really hard according to Farrel and they are very happy with him.
Posted by: Santana/Beckett FTW | May 01, 2008 at 03:59 PM
By the “30 inning increase” rule, they’re safe for 193 and 178 respectively. The key is that the Red Sox want to save 2 or 3 starts and 15 to 20 innings for the post season. So say 180 IP for Lester and 160 IP for Buchholz in the regular season. At his current rate of innings per start that gives Lester at least 31 (24 left) and Buchholz at least 27 (22 left). Based on the fact that they will need some activity to get back to strength after rest, I would say, best case scenario, Buchholz might miss around 3 weeks and Lester might just skip a turn or two.
Oh, and bjsguess, I'm taking Colon to the bank. If the check bounces, there is always Masterson and Tavarez, and may be even Schilling.
Posted by: TALL THRILL | May 01, 2008 at 04:03 PM
@ Lockey: I'd trade Julian Tavarez to the Braves.
Posted by: TALL THRILL | May 01, 2008 at 04:05 PM
And good luck getting anything for Tavarez.
Posted by: asm | May 01, 2008 at 05:50 PM