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Sox demote Murphy and Bailey

The Red Sox today optioned outfielder David Murphy to Triple-A Pawtucket of the International League, and assigned infielder Jeff Bailey, a non-roster invitee, to the minor-league camp.

With today’s moves, Boston has 38 players remaining in the major league camp.

Posted by Art Martone  at 12:38 PM | Permalink | Comments 1

Baseball today: Friday, March 23

A local look around the baseball world . . .

PAPELBON: I'm sure most of you have read just about everything there is to read on yesterday's decision to move Jonathan Papelbon back to the bullpen (and the subsequent move of replacing him in the starting rotation with Julian Tavarez). Reaction falls into two main categories, one strain stated by the Globe's Nick Cafardo ("[The] best guy available [to close games for the Red Sox] -- and maybe the best, period -- is Papelbon.") and the other by FoxSport's Ken Rosenthal ("They wouldn't be doing this if they didn't have to," or words to that effect.) You can voice your opionion, and read those of others, here.

Me? I think it was the only sensible thing to do for the team. It would have been nigh impossible for Terry Francona to stitch together any kind of consistently effective relief corps with the pieces he had, and it would have taken maybe two blown saves -- maybe -- for hysteria to overflow in these parts. If Papelbon can handle it physically, and I trust the Sox wouldn't have done it if he couldn't, it's the only move to make.

One last note: The take from the good folks at Baseball Prospectus.

G38: One of the most interesting aspects of yesterday's news was how it came out. And one of the first to weigh in was none other than Curt Schilling, on his 38Pitches blog. Interesting note: Schilling had earlier said that Papelbon was more valuable throwing 200 innings as a starter than 80 innings as a reliever -- something I agree with philosophically, though in practice I think this is probably the best move for the team -- but he doesn't get into that here. Instead he basically defends the decision.

Schilling as blogger is fascinating, unchartered territory. You can get some insights into his thinking in this terrfic Q and A with SI.com's Alex Belth.

ELSEWHERE: Carl Pavano's numbers (4 1/3 innings, 8 hits, 3 runs) didn't look too good, but the Yankees say they're encouraged . . . Steven Goldman, writing again for The Pinstriped Bible, takes a couple of gentle shots at the Red Sox and Boston -- writing for the domestic audience, don't you know -- but also explains why Bobby Abreu is the real deal . . . A little more on Rocco Baldelli's hamstring injury, which the Devil Rays now say will sideline him until early next week . . . Remember Hee Sop Choi, who spent most of last summer doing not much of anything at Pawtucket? Looks like he'll get to spend this summer doing not much of anything at Durham after the Devil Rays sent him down . . . Good thing the Sox found a closer. Last time they needed one, they traded for Byung-Hyung Kim, and, coincidences of coincidences, he's on the market again. Not that it had any chance of happening, but you know what they say about removing all temptations.

AND FINALLY: I'll read any interviews with Bill James, even those in which he doesn't say much of anything. This part, though, I love: Having been interviewed many times myself, I can say there's always some pressure to have an answer for everything you're asked, even when it's something you can't speak about with any sense of authority. (It's these answers, incidentally, which usually come back to haunt you.) Not Bill, though. Any question about what he thinks will happen in the future -- who'll win the pennant, how will such-and-such player do, anything -- he basically says, "I have no idea." He used to try to come up with something in the past, even though, as he once wrote, the only true answer is: "How the hell do I know?" Now? He doesn't even make the pretense.

And you know what? He's right. When it comes to predicting the future, none of us have any idea. No matter how firmly or loudly we may say it.

-- ART MARTONE

Posted by Art Martone  at 8:25 AM | Permalink