During the past two weeks, the Red Sox have signed pitchers Carlos Silva, Aaron Cook, Justin Germano and Vicente Padilla — each of whom barely contributed last season — to minor league deals.
The four castoffs comprise an unorthodox crew of pitching candidates. Injuries hindered Padilla and Cook last season. Ineffectiveness ended Germano’s year in Cleveland. Silva never managed to make an appearance, let alone a start, in 2011.
The oldest of the four signees, Padilla could have the greatest upside. After undergoing season-ending neck surgery last summer, the 34-year-old dazzled in the Nicaraguan Winter Leagues, reaching the mid-90s with his fastball. It certainly caught Ben Cherington’s attention.
"He’s looked good,” Cherington said. "[Padilla’s] stuff looked very similar to his time recently in Los Angeles. He has an assortment of off-speed pitches. He probably spans the velocity range about as wide as anybody in the game today."
For those reason, Cherington said Padilla will enter spring training as a starter. Like his three counterparts, Padilla — who is just two years removed as the Dodgers’ opening day starter — will compete for a spot in the back end of Boston’s rotation.
It differs from his role with Los Angeles last season, where the pitcher made nine appearances out of the bullpen and recorded three saves. But if there’s a logjam in the rotation, Cherington concedes that Padilla could be slotted elsewhere.
"He’s pitched out of the bullpen too and he knows there’s chance — if he makes the team — he may end up in the ‘pen," Cherington said. "Right now, I think he’s focused on coming to camp as a starter and trying to make the team in one role or another."
Regardless of his role, Padilla’s neck is healthy. After evaluating him in Nicaragua on multiple occasions and Fort Myers, Fla. last week, Cherington offered the seal of approval to revive the castoff’s career.
"We were pleasantly surprised about how he looked physically, specifically as it relates to the neck procedure that he had last summer," Cherington said. "Physically, he looked pretty good. We pursued a deal with him and were happy to get him signed."
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