Boston earlier this week reportedly signed right-handed starting pitcher Brad Penny to a one-year, $5 million deal with incentives. Let’s look at some pros and cons:
Pros:
- Will hopefully be healthy and well-rested after getting only two starts in the second half of the year due to reported shoulder tendonitis.
- Low expectations: With the Red Sox, Beckett, Lester, Dice-K and Wakefield are established in the rotation, so anything the team gets out of Penny will be considered a bonus.
- Should benefit from improved run support; Boston averaged 5.4 runs per game after the break last year.
- 38-22 record and a 4.16 ERA
- Always a chance he could get back together with Eliza Dushku
Cons:
- Has struggled to stay healthy throughout his entire career. According to SI.com, a 2003 MRI showed rotator cuff fraying in his right shoulder, the same one that forced him out of action most of last year. He’s never had surgery on the shoulder.
- Moves from the soft NL West to the brutal AL East.
- Has a 5.08 career ERA in interleague games.
Analysis:
Pitchers with a strong record of success coming off of an injury like Penny represent a buy-low opportunity, but Penny’s health status remains in question, not to mention whether he’ll even earn a spot in Boston’s rotation to start the year. He’s someone to track during spring training, but right now he’s not someone to target on draft day.
