Projo Sox Blog

BOSTON -- Sitting in the enemy dugout of the field that he used to call home, Justin Masterson looked around at the green walls all around him and reflected on leaving Fenway Park for Cleveland.

The last time he was at Fenway, he was an important reliever on a team with playoff aspirations. He returns as an innings-eating starter for a club that may be the worst in the American League.

"It's different," Masterson said. "It's kind of weird. You think about that when the transition was made, you go from a team that was fighting for the playoffs, and now made it to a team that's hoping maybe next year and years to come to be in the playoffs. It's a great opportunity but for the short term you're like -- oh, man."

Losing is hard, yes, but seeing the friends you came up through the minors with makes it even harder.

"It's different coming in here," said Masterson, who made his debut last season after being drafted out of San Diego State in the second round in 2006. "It's nice to see some familiar faces and all that. I mean, you know it's the game of baseball you're going to change. Probably a little [emotional], since this is the first time I got traded.

"A lot of good guys who I kind of matured with and had a lot of firsts with [are still with the Red Sox]. It's good to see them. It's been fun. It's kind of nice to end the season here, just kind of put some closure, just kind of get ready in the offseason to try and dominate next year."

It hasn't been much of a year for Masterson. He was inconsistent as a starter and reliever for Boston, and then for the most part, equally forgettable for Cleveland. He would alternate awful outings with excellent ones, and for the year, he finishes with a 4.52 ERA and a 4-10 record, going 1-7 with Cleveland.

At the trade deadline, when all eyes were on Clay Buchholz and Michael Bowden and the chance that they or other prospects would be sent to Toronto for Roy Halladay, Masterson was suddenly told that he would be heading to Cleveland in a less-rumored deal for catcher Victor Martinez, along with Sox minor league pitchers Nick Hagadone and Bryan Price.

Martinez has made all the difference in the world for the Sox, but giving up the gregarious Masterson was painful for the club.

"He's one of everybody's favorites here," said manager Terry Francona. "How can he not be? You're not going to get guys like Victor without giving up something good. The other kid, Hagadone, he might not be on the radar now but he will be."

Masterson has been equally well-received in his new home. Cleveland Reliever Jensen Lewis said that Masterson is a great clubhouse addition, and the team expects big things from him on the mound.

"He's been great. He's done everything we expected, he's been real humble and real laid back, and hopefully he'll be a horse for us going forward," Lewis said.

Masterson, 24, is part of a major rebuilding project in Cleveland, and losing figures to be part of that formula for the next few years. The team traded two of its best players, Martinez and 2008 Cy Young-winning starter Cliff Lee, in deadline deals in July.

But all the losing Cleveland did in the second half quickly rubbed away the thrill of coming to a new place, even his home state of Ohio.

"It was like, 'OK, yeah, going to a new place.' But I think as you go, we hit a little 11-game losing skid, which wasn't the most exciting. You're kind of like, 'Oh, man.' You don't get depressed but you get a little not as excited."

Still, he looked to the future, which he said could be bright.

"We have like the youngest roster in the major leagues I think here in Cleveland. So we definitely have a lot of good players and good potential," said Masterson. "It's just really putting it together. I think we have some pieces, I think we'll get a few more, and hopefully we can maybe be playing Boston in the playoffs next year."

-- DANIEL BARBARISI

 Tags  Boston Red Sox Dan Barbarisi Jensen Lewis Justin Masterson

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