As for the Arroyo in the pen/Papelbon in AAA, I agree that’s the course most likely to be taken, but it’s the least effiecent since:
1. You have to cut a gaurenteed contract to make room, or go with a short bench.
2. Are keeping a goodish starting pitcher in the bullpen for guys that aren’t much better, but sure are older and more expensive.

I don’t like the idea of having the pitching staff wait out an injury to become effiecent.

And Matsui / Damon with a 399′ left-center alley? ouch.

More importantly, I expect Wells to be gone by April 4th.

Sean O – they aren’t the 99 Indians but they can hit. Johnny is MUCH better than what Bernie was last year. Having said that, they are going to have problems stopping other teams from scoring against them. The flip side of your question is “how can the Yankees be unstoppable for 3 months, add one of the two best centerfielders in the AL to their lineup and not be expected to win 110 games?” — I don’t think that’s going to happen, but it’s just as good a question as yours is.

My problem is that these guys aren’t likely to get hurt in spring training. It could happen, but it’s not likely. Anyway, when the team breaks camp, there is going to have to be a plan in terms of pitching staff construction. Injuries are something you fix when they happen, by doing things like calling up Papelbon. You can’t shoe horn a starter into the bullpen because Beckett’s blisters are going to act up.

I don’t understand how the Yankees can play horrible baseball for 3 months, make no changes except to replace an aging center fielder with an aging center fielder, and suddenly they’re the ’99 Indians. Doesn’t make sense.

At WORST, the starters stay healthy, Seanez, Riske, Timlin, Tavarez and Foulke all stay healthy and effective and we don’t have room for Papelbon. This is neither likely nor problematic in my view. Seanez in particular is someone I wouldn’t be surprised to see jettisoned if he goes Alan Embree on us.

As for the Yanks, if one more person tells me they’ve upgraded their bullpen, I’m going to throw up. That staff is a disaster waiting to happen. If the Unit gets hurt, they could allow 850-900 runs this year.

The Red Sox could do things like carry all six starters, putting Arroyo in the bullpen, but he seems to suggest Papelbon will be in the pen also.

So now the Red Sox have a 13 man staff? Unless the Sox start to cut relievers like Saenez, there is no reason to believe that Arroyo/Papelbon will be relievers. That’s the problem with gaurenteed contracts, you have to actually honor them.

Mentioning the “shaky pen” just shows how deep Perry looked at the issue. There are far less question marks with the Sox pen than with say…the Yankees.

If the biggest problem they have is that Beckett/Schilling/Clement/Wakefield/Wells all make 30 starts, then they’ll probably win 105 games and cruise to a division title