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The Boston Red Sox and pitcher Brad Penny reached a preliminary agreement on a $5 million, one-year contract, according to several reports Monday.
The team also struck a tentative agreement with catcher Josh Bard and both deals are pending physicals, the reports said.
A two-time All-Star, the 30-year-old Penny struggled with injuries to his shoulder and side last season with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He went 6-9 with a 6.27 ERA in 17 starts and two relief appearances.
The big right-hander would join a talented Boston rotation that includes Josh Beckett, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Jon Lester and knuckleballer Tim Wakefield. Penny was teammates with Beckett and Red Sox third baseman Mike Lowell in Florida, helping the Marlins win the 2003 World Series.
Penny pitched well in that series against the New York Yankees, going 2-0 with a 2.19 ERA in two starts.
He was the NL starter in the 2006 All-Star game and finished that year 16-9 with a 4.33 ERA. The following season, Penny went 16-4 with a 3.03 ERA in 33 starts covering 208 innings and placed third in NL Cy Young Award voting.
According to the reports, Penny could earn an additional $3 million in performance bonuses with the Red Sox. He is 94-75 with a 4.06 ERA in nine big league seasons.
An e-mail sent by The Associated Press to Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein was not immediately returned. Phone calls to Penny's agent, Greg Genske, also were not immediately returned.
Bard played seven games for Boston in 2006 but struggled to catch Wakefield's knuckler and was traded to San Diego. He batted .202 with a homer and 16 RBIs in 178 at-bats for the Padres last season.
The Red Sox need depth behind the plate — captain Jason Varitek is a free agent.
© 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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{"commentId":4592366,"authorDomain":"harkins"}
Looks like another nice low-risk, high-reward signing by Theo Epstein.
{"commentId":4592366,"threadId":"455942","contentId":"2256572","authorDomain":"harkins"}
- 1 vote
#1 - Mon Dec 29, 2008 9:58 PM EST{"commentId":4592582,"authorDomain":"thevineofhob"}
Well, low risk is relative. Only Boston or the two New York teams would consider $5 million in this economy to be low risk. I also wonder just how high-reward the signing is either. This is a National League pitcher with a career ERA above 4. What's his upside really? 160 innings of 4.50 ERA? I guess that's worth $5 million, but that's also his upside.
I actually like the Josh Bard signing much more. $800,000 really is low risk (to any team besides Florida), and Bard is only a season removed from .285/.364/.404 in 389 at bats. And even as bad as he hit last year, he still took his walks. Bard was a guy I was hoping the Yanks would have stashed at AAA in case Posada was unable to resume every day catching duties and then he could have platooned with Jose Molina.
{"commentId":4592582,"threadId":"455942","contentId":"2256572","authorDomain":"thevineofhob"}
{"commentId":4592953,"authorDomain":"jayp5"}
I agree, I don't really like the idea of Brad Penny, but eh who's the fifth starter then? Maybe if Clay Bucholz emerges this year, then Penny can be traded.
{"commentId":4592953,"threadId":"455942","contentId":"2256572","authorDomain":"jayp5"}
#2 - Mon Dec 29, 2008 11:07 PM EST{"commentId":4593094,"authorDomain":"TheBish888"}
Penny is a potential ALL Star pitcher who had a sore arm last year but the two previous years he was good. He knows how to pitch and still has a great arm. If you consider CC's contract in which he will be getting paid a million dollars or more per victory! Then indeed Penny is very low risk high ceiling. 5 million is nothing for a player like that especially when the AVERAGE salary for a MLBP is 3 million bucks.
I think the Bard signing will help bring Varitek back to the fold. He is running out of options.
{"commentId":4593094,"threadId":"455942","contentId":"2256572","authorDomain":"TheBish888"}
- 1 vote
#3 - Mon Dec 29, 2008 11:19 PM EST{"commentId":4593898,"authorDomain":"harkins"}
Agreed, Mistabish2. Very simple why it's low-risk, high-reward.
If Penny reverts to 2007 form, you get an All-Star (who is only 30) who went 16-4 with a 3.03 ERA.
If Penny stinks or otherwise continues to be saddled with injuries, the Sox are out $5 million and they look elsewhere (like Bucholz) for help at the No. 4 spot (assuming Wakefield is your No. 5).
Compare that to some other signings this offseason:
If Edgar Renteria struggles for the Giants (recent trend doesn't look good), San Francisco is out $18.5 million over the next two seasons.
If Raul Ibanez begins to show his age (36), the Phillies are out $31.5 million over the next three seasons.
Don't even get me started on A.J. Burnett. :)
{"commentId":4593898,"threadId":"455942","contentId":"2256572","authorDomain":"harkins"}
- 1 vote
{"commentId":4598883,"authorDomain":"thevineofhob"}
you get an All-Star (who is only 30) who went 16-4 with a 3.03 ERA.
But he did that in the weakest division of the DH-less league in the biggest pitchers park in the entire league. Now he's moving to the the DH league, the toughest division in baseball and Fenway Park (a hitter's park). That all translates that career year 3.03 ERA to 4.00 ERA at best. It's all about context.
The Sox would have been better for both the present and future to create a competition for the fifth starter between Buchholz and Masterson. One, if not both of those pitchers is going to have to eventually step up to replace Wakefield, and the loner they wait for that the less likely it will happen. Buchholz is already 24, he's about to slip past the age of prospect and to the age of bust.
Also, if you don't think that $5 million was a big deal, the Red Sox were only about $5 million or so away from signing Teixeira, so obviously $5 million was a big deal then.
{"commentId":4598883,"threadId":"455942","contentId":"2256572","authorDomain":"thevineofhob"}
{"commentId":4606901,"authorDomain":"harkins"}
Also, if you don't think that $5 million was a big deal, the Red Sox were only about $5 million or so away from signing Teixeira, so obviously $5 million was a big deal then.
Actually the difference between what the Sox and Yankees offered Teixeira was $10 million, but I'd argue with your point there anyway because you're comparing a $5 million investment to an $180-million investment. Big difference.
Now I'm with you on the young players. If Penny is going to hold back Bucholz and Masterson, then it's probably a bad move. But it's also possible he takes innings away from Wakefield. Either way, it's still a low-risk move, and $5 million is nothing to the Red Sox.
{"commentId":4606901,"threadId":"455942","contentId":"2256572","authorDomain":"harkins"}
{"commentId":4602323,"authorDomain":"keavinkirby"}
Not a bad gamble if you are the Sox. Only 5 mil. They need to let Bucholz and Masterson get innings though. I mean it's the 5th starter. If your fifth starter costs you the playoffs, you weren't that good a team to begin with.
I feel the same way with my Yankees. Forget Pettitte. Have the young kids compete for the job, and the best guy starts your 5th game.
{"commentId":4602323,"threadId":"455942","contentId":"2256572","authorDomain":"keavinkirby"}
#4 - Tue Dec 30, 2008 3:22 PM EST{"commentId":4604186,"authorDomain":"thevineofhob"}
I feel the exact same way. The Red Sox and Yankees won't trade their blue chip prospects like Hughes or Buchholz for aces like Johan Santana, but then they'll go and sign guys like the corpse of Brad Penny to stand in their way. I say that if you're going to commit to the young guys, then damn commit to them.
As to the fifth starter, thanks to days off and whatnot, your fifth starter will probably only start 20 games, and throw a 120 or so innings. Your probably don't want to trust those innings to a Kei Igawa or Julian Tavarez, but giving them to a Hughes, Buchholz or Masterson isn't the worst idea in the world at all.
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