Random Thoughts (July 1, 2010)

The Red Sox bullpen has been a minor concern as the baseball season heads towards the All-Star break. For a team with World Series aspirations that has to first get out of the rugged A.L. East, the Sox need a consistent bullpen to emerge in order to reach their goals. Closer Jonathan Papelbon has been solid with 18 saves but has not been his usual dominant self. Their middle relief triumvirate of Manny Delcarmen, Hideki Okajima, and Ramon Ramirez have been inconsistent with their performances. The one bright spot has been set-up man Daniel Bard but he already has appeared in 39 games and the Sox are already running the risk of burning out his arm. There seem to be few options available on the trade market and I'm sure that after paying a hefty price for the services of Eric Gagne in 2007, Theo Epstein will be very careful about swapping prospects for relief pitching. Epstein did make a move to help the bullpen yesterday, signing Rich Hill to a minor league contract and assigning him to Triple-A Pawtucket. Hill moved into the bullpen with the St. Louis Cardinals Triple-A affiliate in Memphis this spring and found success with the transition. As a reliever he posted a 3-1 record with a 3.47 ERA and nearly had a 2:1 strikeout-walk ration in 23 innings. Hill's big curveball - a replica of Barry Zito's - gives him a deadly weapon in short relief appearances. This move has the potential to be a low-risk/high-reward signing for the Red Sox, who could desperately use another consistent arm for their 'pen... Speaking of low-risk/high-reward moves for the Red Sox, I wonder if Epstein has thought about giving a look to free agent outfielder Jermaine Dye because of all the injury issues the team has faced in that area this season. Dye is currently out of baseball after a bad second half with the White Sox a year ago. The 36-year-old did hit 27 home runs and drive in 81 runs with the ChiSox and if Epstein believes he can produce at that rate for the 2010 BoSox, the team should give him a call. The expected Boston starters - Jacoby Ellsbury (played in 9 games), Mike Cameron (31 games), and J.D. Drew (69 games) have missed a combined 128 games so far and their top reserve Jeremy Hermida has missed half the season as well. Although the stories of replacements Darnell McDonald and Daniel Nava are inspiring, their lack of production is bound to cost the Sox in what is going to be a tight race for a playoff spot in the American League so taking a look at Dye could be the difference between making or missing the postseason... The beginning of free agency in the NBA is the big news in sports but we should not forget that free agency has also begun for the NHL. Do not expect much action on that front from the Bruins. The B's biggest moves came at that draft when they selected center Tyler Seguin and traded for forward Nathan Horton. The team is under the salary cap but still has to account for the un-signed contracts of their restricted free agents. There are rumors that that the Bruins will look to trade center Marc Savard ($4 million) and/or goalie Tim Thomas ($5 million) to save money but with hopes of winning a Stanley Cup filling the heads of the front office on Causeway Street, giving away proven veterans like Savard and Thomas makes little sense unless the team gets good value in return... Less than one month until the Patriots open their campaign for their fourth Super Bowl of the Belichick-Brady era... Enjoy the M.A.D. miles tonight...