I guess this solves the “who’s the closer” question but the Red Sox announced Jon Papelbon is getting his old job back and he’ll close for the Red Sox. It was supposed to be medical reasons that moved him into the rotation but they must have found a doctor to vouch for him. Julian Tavarez will get the rotation spot vacated by Papelbon.
I don’t like the move and even if Papelbon makes it through the season, I think his long term prospects diminish. Look at what’s happened with Eric Gagne. Guys like Mariano Rivera are a little freakish (in a good way) and aren’t a good comparison but the shelf life for a closer isn’t normally that good. Then again, they didn’t have anyone solid for the job so it makes sense in that respect.
