Bullpen depends on 5th starter battle
FORT MYERS, Fla. –– The time to sort out the bullpen and rotation has come.
With Alfredo Aceves, Daniel Bard,Aaron Cook, Vicente Padilla, Justin Germano, Andrew Miller and Felix Doubront vying for spots on the starting staff and available bullpen jobs, Red Sox skipper Bobby Valentine plans to make cuts shortly.
So far this spring, the majority of the pitchers haven't routinely pitched in a solidified role.
"I'm not happy about any of the relief," Valentine said after the 8-4 defeat against Minnesota. "I've said a few times, attitude filters down from he top. I'm a bit confused about the whole bullpen situation only because we haven't been able to fit the pieces together, so I think that confusion is filtering. Everyone is something other than settled. That's where we have to go from here."
The newfound urgency stems from uncertainty with the situation. Throughout the spring, Valentine has attempted to allot sufficient innings for everyone to compete. But the list of contenders has prevented some from starting games in spring training.
To complicate matters, five Red Sox pitchers are out of options –– Doubront, Miller, Matt Albers, Franklin Morales and Michael Bowden. If any of them aren't tapped for the Opening Day squad, Boston could risk losing them in waivers.
So apparently the decision on who will be the 5th starter will happen soon. It would make sense that Valentine would want guys being comfortable in their roles heading into the last part of spring training. Bobby may not be happy about where the team is at right now but he must be excited about all the options he has to fill in the rest of his staff. But the question still remains. Who will be the 5th starter?