The Red Sox have already said goodbye to Takashi Saito and Billy Wagner this offseason, and now Javier Lopez will become the most recent member of the Boston bullpen to join a new team.
Granted, Lopez was hardly a staple of the Red Sox' pen last year, as the reliever made his final appearance in the majors on May 9. Despite his struggles in '09, however, the Pirates have signed the 32-year-old to a one-year, $775,000 contract, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Lopez appeared in just 14 games last year, posting a 9.26 ERA in 11 2/3 innings. In his career, he is 11-7 with a 4.62 ERA for the Red Sox, Rockies and Diamondbacks. He is just two seasons removed from the best year of his career, when he went 2-0 with a 2.43 ERA in 59 1/3 innings for Boston in 2008.
"I'm a guy who's looking for an opportunity, a chance to prove myself, and that's one reason I think Pittsburgh will be a good fit for me," Lopez told the newspaper.
Lopez, who was sent down to Triple-A Pawtucket in May, did not appear to hold any grudges toward the Red Sox.
"Being in Boston, it was a great experience, but it's a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately kind of place," he said. "I got off to a rough start and, when you're in a division with the Yankees and Rays … hey, I can't blame them. They had a guy in [Daniel] Bard who was throwing 100 [mph], and I was the guy who had his roster spot."
