So Long, Josh Bard
by Texy
2009 March 18 at 10:50 am
With the news this morning out of Fort Myers that the Red Sox have released catcher Josh Bard from the roster, does this mean:
- George Kotteras, who is out of options, has locked up the backup catching position — despite the fact that Bard caught Wakefield all spring so far.
- The Red Sox were so blinded by the brilliance of Jason Varitek’s .167 BA down in Florida that they accidentally released the wrong guy.
- SUPER SEKRIT deal for Jarrod Saltalamacchia is about to be announced!
Hey, I know Salty’s a long shot – but a girl can dream.
Wow. I just read that too. I am surprised. I’d lean towards reason #1 since I know there was some discussion of his “out of options” and that he had some power on his bat. Hmm…berry berry interesting.
And if a trade is made, I wonder for who…I hope it doesn’t involve one Mr. Clay Buchholz since I have been pretty impressed with him this ST.
Don’t hate on Jason Varitek, obviously you have no faith whatsoever in a man that is the heart of our team. He’s our captain. Give it time.
My guess is that Daniel Bard is stunning everyone as a RP and the double Bards was confusing. It’s really just a courtesy to the beat writers.
@Sonja: I love when people tell me what I can say on my own blog. If humor and sarcasm hurt your feelings, you probably won’t dig this place very much. We’re equal-opportunity snarkers – except when it comes to Wally. No one is allowed to criticize Wally.
Kottaras did catch Wake – I think on Saturday? I thought it was a little strange, but maybe this explains it. Although one start does not a Mirabelli-double make! I’m hoping the explanation is number 3 – I long to hear Remy struggling to pronounce Saltalamacchia six times a game!
@Anne: Makes perfect sense. I wonder if Josh saw the writing on the wall when that happened?
Right when I was starting to warm up to Bard, too. And as much as I love Salty, I really hope it’s #1. Gerogie’s such a talented kid, and I’d be really happy to be able to see what he can do with more time in the bigs.
Option #1 pls.
@Texy: I love all y’all for your snark. Sarcasm is basically my language.
P.S. Wally is a total tool…he is taller than Pedey though!
@Shelley1005: BANNED.
@Texy: *COMPLETE TANTRUM!!!*
Just for clarification…was it making fun of Wally that got me banned…or referencing the height challengedness of one Mr. MVP???
This is a wacky theory, but I threw it out there on TBL…
The FO said Masterson wil get one more start and then they need to decide if he will be a starter or a reliever.
Perhaps Daniel Bard has impressed enough to earn a bullpen spot in the majors… enabling Masterson to stay a starter, and giving Penny more time to get healthy.
This makes Buchholz (who’s stock has doubled thanks to a solid spring) trade bait for Slaty or Montero…
Thoughts?
@Bottom Line Rob: NOOOOOO!!!!
I’m one of those people who just loves the bejesus out of Buch. And I think if we trade him, we’re going to regret it BIG time when he becomes the next Jon Lester for some other team.
Daniel Bard is impressive…so I could follow your theory though. I’d still give him another year in the minors having him function as a closer. He has the stuff and so he could be the successor to Pap if and more likely when he leaves town. You wanna know your guy can handle the 9th inning…so I’d leave him in the minors to test that out.
Plus..Shelley want Buch to stay.
@shelley1005:
Interesting theory on Bard. I guess I try not to think about Paps leaving… but it is very possible.
My theory is a bit of a long shot, but we’ll see if any moves made… one of my buddies thinks George just won the job flat out, but the stats don’t seem to back that up… maybe Bard just wasn’t that much better than Kottaras, so they cut him and kept the cheaper guy?
@Bottom Line Rob: Isn’t that EXACTLY what happened last year with Mirabelli and Cash?
@Twinkie:
Good point Twink.
It’s funny to think about the Boston Red Sox being frugal… but we’ve seen alot of thriftiness from Theo this offseason, right?
I’m all for George getting a chance to play, I’ll be rooting for him.
@Bottom Line Rob: Although it pains me to think of a Papelbon-less pen, his comments that his number one priority is money make me realize that the longterm with Paps isn’t guaranteed. If (Daniel) Bard can be molded into a 9th inning guy, that would be a nice safety net.
Dreaming of Salty right there with ya, Texy!!
@Bottom Line Rob: @Texy: Yeah, I want Pap to stay in Boston forever and ever and ever… and in an alternate universe I might wanna have his babies. I will truly mourn him if and when he is gone, but since he is all about the benjamins…I am not confident at all that a deal will get done in the near future or when he hits free agency.
I could see Masty or Bard being the “closer in training”…to take over for Pap.
I also hope that we don’t ditch Buch because we needed more pitching depth last year in the postseason. Penny could be great or a walking injury. Smoltz could be a deal breaker on either side. And I’ve made it clear I think Wake needs to let out to better pastures, especially in Sept and Oct.
What, Jason Varitek had 4 RBIs today, which included a towering 3 run shot?!
@Sonja: It was a joke. Just let it go.