Most of those headlines came in the form of Daisuke Matsuzaka news, with multiple outlets reporting that the right-hander will have Tommy John surgery.
The fact remains that with a year of recovery time, Matsuzaka may only have a scant few months left in a Red Sox uniform. He is a free agent after next season. and therefore some will be tempted to begin writing the obituary on his career in Boston now. But we're getting ahead of ourselves. The team will need to analyze its options to cover for the loss this year. What happens in 2012 is another story.
This week's edition of the Red Sox Lineup will take on a different theme. Rather than nine random thoughts related to the team, here are the nine options to recover from the presumed loss of Matsuzaka.
1. Stick with Wake
Moments before saying that Matsuzaka would still analyze rehab options and possibly avoid surgery, Terry Francona on Wednesday said "you gotta put your seatbelt on" when describing life with Tim Wakefield. There will be some days when the knuckleball fails to dance and opponents race around the bases with abandon. However, there is always the chance for the opposite with Wakefield. In his last three starts, he is 2-0 with a 3.20 ERA and his one non-quality start in that run may have been dramatically altered by a missed call. Wakefield won't win the Cy Young Award, but he is perfectly serviceable as an end-of-the-rotation starter at this late stage of his career. With days off here and there, he can be skipped and utilized out of the pen as a long man, adding some value on that end as well.
2. Stick with Ace
The sample size is significantly smaller. Nobody really knows how Alfredo Aceves will perform with two or three consecutive months as a starter. Yet, prior to his rocky outing two nights ago at Fenway Park, that small sample size yielded some solid indications that he can handle extended work. At the very least, he is an intriguing option, a guy who has gone 16-2 while pitching his entire career in the American League East and showcasing an on-the-fringe mentality that won't allow him to be beaten mentally.
3. Turn to Felix Doubront
There is no shortage of admiration in the organization for Doubront. Former pitching coach John Farrell adored him. Francona seemed to indicate earlier in the season that if he had his druthers, Doubront would've started the year in the Red Sox bullpen. Through it all, Doubront continues to impress when healthy and given the chance to start on a regular basis. By inserting him into the rotation in Boston, it would end, to a degree, the back-and-forth nature of his young career (he was converted to a reliever last year to aide a dismal bullpen in Boston). It's hard to ignore the fact that he is 8-3 with a 2.65 ERA in 22 starts at Triple-A Pawtucket.
There are a multitude of issues with this option, however. For one, Doubront was robbed of a full spring training because of elbow tightness, and he just came off the DL at Triple-A Pawtucket because of a groin strain. Because of this, the longest he has lasted in a start this year is just 4 1/3 innings. He needs more time to be ready for a major league workload. Also, with Franklin Morales on the disabled list and Rich Hill possibly headed in that direction, the Red Sox bullpen is out of lefties. Doubront and/or Hideki Okajima may be called upon at one time or another to fill that void, which is slightly more pressing right now with Hill's recent injury.
4. Miller Time
Sure, Andrew Miller has some of the best stuff in the organization, and he has experience as a starter in the big leagues, but the club will think twice before heading this route. The Sox brought him in with the understanding that he would get stretched out as a starter in Pawtucket and, if he could harness his dynamic offerings, fill a role in Fenway Park in the future. However, despite a 2.47 ERA in 10 games (nine starts) for the PawSox, Miller may still have some work to do. It is clear that few guys can hit him at that level; the lefty has allowed exactly one hit in half of his outings. But he has walked 34 batters in 47 1/3 innings. Control was one of the primary causes for his struggles in the majors. He certainly would not be able to hold big league hitters to one hit every other start, and they could make him pay for those free passes. It's tempting to see what he can do, but it also could be dangerous.
5. Millwood Time
Well, maybe it isn't a huge gamble to plug in a 14-year veteran who finished 2010 with seven quality starts in his final 10 outings, but Kevin Millwood has not impressed in his limited minor league action this year — first for the Yankees and now the Red Sox. Signed to a minor league deal last month, Millwood was given his first start for the PawSox on Wednesday. He lasted only 2 2/3 innings, giving up four runs on five hits and two walks. Not exactly the kind of outing that will have the big club eager to call him up. Still, there's something to be said for turning to a veteran in this kind of a situation.
6. Weil and deal
He may not be a household name to many Red Sox fans, but Kyle Weiland, a former third-round pick, has quietly moved up the organizational ladder and is having a very solid season in Pawtucket. He is 4-4 with a 3.46 ERA and has 57 strikeouts in 52 innings entering Thursday night's start. The 24-year-old right-hander has a 2.34 mark over his last four starts, and opponents are hitting .222 against him this year. It might be a bit too soon for a guy who is progressing so smoothly, but he has improved leaps and bounds in the past year or so and may not be that far off.
7. Find out what a duck is worth
Brandon Duckworth has not started a game in the big leagues since 2008, and he has a 5.11 ERA in 84 career starts. But the Red Sox brought him into the fold as part of that offseason mission to provide pitching depth. Sometimes those are not the sexiest options out there, but they exist for a reason. Duckworth, 35, has a pedestrian 3.91 ERA as a starter in Pawtucket. Maybe he gives the team a few quality starts until something better comes along. Then again, maybe not.
8. Hello, Mr. Wilson!
Digging beyond Triple-A we find the next best thing in Portland, where Alex Wilson is showing something at the Double-A level. The 24-year-old right-hander is 4-3 with a 2.92 ERA in 10 starts. He owns a 2.11 mark in his last seven appearances. Although there are other starters who rank higher on top prospects list, Wilson is the closest to making the leap to the next level. That doesn't mean he can make that two-level leap two, where he may wind up as a reliever one day, but it's worth noting his solid start.
9. Use your chips
If none of these options are appealing to the organization on a long-term basis (i.e. the rest of the season) then it's high time to cash in on a prospect. Someone like Josh Reddick could net a quality arm from a team looking to unload. A quick glance at veteran pitchers on losing teams who are free agents next season, thereby in their final days with the team anyway, yields a few candidates for a No. 5 spot: Livan Hernandez, Ryan Dempster, Jason Marquis, Jeff Francis, Brad Penny, Hiroki Kuroda, Edwin Jackson, Paul Maholm. There are others, and also some options situations with a few of these guys that might make them tough to turn to, but a move is not out of the question.
