Kuzul

Adrian Beltre has been absolutely sensational for the Boston Red Sox this year. That’s the thing though; it’s been one sensational year. Beltre’s track record says he will never have a batting average over .300 or an OPS (on base plus slugging percentage) over .900 ever again.

With an on base percentage of .366, Beltre hasn’t been on base this much since 2004 when he had an OBP of .388. His 162 game average is .328. As recently as 2009, Beltre was on base at a clip of .304. He has also had an OPS lower than .800 nine times in his thirteen year career.

Can the Red Sox really count on Beltre to produce this much next year? Quite frankly, the reason he signed here in the first place for such a low salary was to set himself up for a long-term deal at age 31. By rewarding him with an extension, the Sox would be giving him the chance to stop working hard.

The last time Adrian Beltre signed a long-term deal was in 2005. He signed a five-year, $64 million deal with the Seattle Mariners after a career year in which he hit 48 home runs with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2004. Looks like the Dodgers made the right decision to let him walk.

That’s exactly the approach the Red Sox need to take. Beltre’s track record speaks for itself. Have a monstrous season, get paid, stop working hard. After 2004, he was supposed to be in the prime of his career at age 26. Instead, he hit .255 with an OPS of .716 and had just 19 home runs in 156 games.

Beltre’s defensive prowess has also been grossly exaggerated. He leads all American League third basemen with 16 errors and it isn’t the first time he’s led the league in errors. Beltre did the same thing in 2007. Somehow he won one of his two gold gloves that year.

Don’t get me wrong. I love Adrian Beltre for everything he’s done this year for the Red Sox. He’s a very good hitter but his motivation has to be a question moving forward. It appears that he only plays well when there’s money on the line. An extension would also leave the Sox with little flexibility in the offseason when Adrian Gonzalez and Prince Fielder will likely hit the trade market. Kevin Youkilis could just slide over to third base if the Sox are able to find a power hitting first baseman.

It’s simple: Pay Adrian Beltre and you will pay. Just ask Seattle.

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The Boston Red Sox are at a crossroads right now. In the thick of a pennant race, their star closer is melting down before their very eyes.

Jonathan Papelbon is putting up the worst numbers of his career and is no longer one of the most intimidating closers in baseball.

Sure, his credentials make him one of the all-time great Red Sox. Enough is enough though. It’s time for Daniel Bard to get the call from the bullpen in each and every save situation for the rest of the season.

Maybe this would have been a reactionary move in July, when half the team was on the DL. The injuries are no longer the story line though, as the only player the team is awaiting is second baseman Dustin Pedroia. Granted, Pedroia is a key part of the team, but in the end he’s just one player.

Now that the injury excuse is a thing of the past, the microscope is finally where it should be: the bullpen.

Despite all the injuries, this team has competed and stayed within striking distance of the Rays and Yankees. The offense has at the very least exceeded expectations. The starting rotation has been very good most of the time. The failures of the bullpen are the elephant in the room.

Now, Jonathan Papelbon certainly isn’t the only one to blame. Hideki Okajima, among others, has vastly underperformed. Papelbon is the closer though. He’s supposed to be the anchor of the bullpen.

Baseball is and has always been a game of numbers. The numbers don’t lie. Jonathan Papelbon has only saved 78 percent of his saves. In baseball, normally succeeding 78 percent of the time would be considered a wonderful thing. Not for closers though.

When you’re a closer, you’re probably not going to pitch more than 70 times in a year. When a closer fails, everybody knows so because it usually is the difference between winning and losing. Don’t even look at ERA when analyzing a closer’s stats. It’s a faulty stat because it doesn’t account for inherited runners.

Papelbon’s 83 percent save percentage is the worst in the American League among closers with at least 20 saves.

Andrew Bailey (87 percent): 20 saves
Jon Rauch (84 percent): 21 saves
David Aardsma (85 percent): 22 saves
Jose Valverde (96 percent): 22 saves
Bobby Jenks (88 percent): 23 saves
Brian Fuentes (85 percent): 23 saves
Mariano Rivera (92 percent): 24 saves
Kevin Gregg (86 percent): 25 saves
Pedro Feliz (91 percent): 29 saves
Jonathan Papelbon (83 percent): 29 saves
Joakim Soria (93 percent): 31 saves
Rafael Soriano (94 percent): 32 saves

Daniel Bard isn’t a proven Major League closer, but when you watch the two pitchers, who do you want on the mound with the game on the line? The guy with a 100 MPH fastball, an 85 MPH changeup, a low 90s slider, and a mid 80s curveball who has more strikeouts than innings pitched—that’s who you want.

Bard has been masterful this season. With a WHIP of 0.860, a WAR* of 2.5, and a RAR** of 17 (compared to Papelbon’s 1.148, 1.0, and 6 respectively), Bard has without question outperformed Jonathan Papelbon.

It’s a myth that Jonathan Papelbon is a player that only throws fastballs. He’s been throwing off-speed pitches more than he ever has in his career. It was an adjustment he had to make after he semi-struggled last season.

The problem this year isn’t a lack of a repertoire, but an inability to hit spots. When he throws a 96 MPH fastball down the middle when it was intended to be low and inside, what would any capable Major League hitter do? Crush the ball. Papelbon isn’t getting absolutely hammered this year, but he’s having bad days at all the wrong times.

If you were Terry Francona, would you make the change now or continue to roll the dice with Jonathan Papelbon?

* – Wins above replacement = the number of wins a player adds compared to his potential replacement player. 0-2 qualifies as a reserve. 2+ qualifies as a starter.

** – Runs above replacement = the number of runs a player is better than a replacement player.

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There was a time when Jonathan Papelbon was considered one of the elite closers in baseball, among the likes of Mariano Rivera, Joe Nathan, and Francisco Rodriguez.

Between a mid-90s fastball that could hit 98 MPH, a plus splitter, a solid change-up, and a slider of the same description, Papelbon had a deathly arsenal that he could unleash at will on opposing hitters.

In his first full year in 2006 as the Red Sox closer, Papelbon was brilliant. He threw 68.1 dominant innings, striking out 75 and walking only 13 en route to a 0.92 ERA and an All-Star selection.

He was just as dominant in 2007 and had perhaps an even better year in 2008, striking out 77 and walking only eight for a ridiculous 9.63 K/BB ratio (Roy Halladay’s is 7.64 this year).

Then, in 2009, something happened—Papelbon became human.

Despite posting a 1.85 ERA and saving 38 games, Papelbon was noticeably shakier on the mound. His WHIP ballooned to 1.147 (previous career high was 0.952 in 2007).

The culprit?

He couldn’t control his pitches anymore.

Papelbon walked 24 batters in 2009 as his K/BB ratio rose to 3.17. He blew three saves and allowed 25 percent of inherited runners to score (awful for a closer). In the playoffs, he was atrocious as he allowed three runs, walked two in two innings, and watched as the Red Sox got eliminated by the Los Angeles Angels.

In 2010, things just got worse.

His K/BB ratio is 2.37 (Daisuke Matsuzaka’s is 1.78). He’s blown six saves in 35 chances. His ERA is a career high 3.26 and his WHIP stands at 1.148. He’s even striking out batters less, only 45 in 49.2 innings (he’s never struck out less than a batter per inning in his career).

His inherited score percentage is a ghastly 36 percent.

After blowing another must-win game against Toronto on Thursday, the four-time All Star has hit an all-time low.

Papelbon can’t throw strikes consistently and, even when he does, he is getting hit hard. The biggest hole in his game this season has been the splitter, a pitch that—when thrown correctly—looks exactly like a fastball coming out of the pitcher’s hand. Without it, Papelbon is simply a fastball pitcher who can’t throw a fastball for a strike.

Questions are surfacing regarding whether he will finish out the season as the Red Sox closer or give way to the closer-in-waiting in Daniel Bard.

That scenario seems unlikely, especially since they need Bard as the set-up man.

However, the big fella’s run with baseball’s best closers seems to be over. He’s still a better pitcher than 90 percent of the relievers out there, but if you’re contending for a championship you need to be able to trust your closer to finish the game.

There’s no way Jonathan Papelbon deserves that trust anymore.

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The last time the Boston Red Sox missed the playoffs was in 2006. Much like this season, 2006 was an injury-riddled year that most fans considered a write-off. The organization would never admit it, but it felt the same way as this year.

It was worth it though, because the very next season the Red Sox would be crowned World Series champions. However, the rings wouldn’t come without a little pain and suffering.

The Sox won just 86 games in 2006 and allowed more runs (825) than they scored (820). Outside of David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez, who combined to hit 89 home runs, the offense was absolutely atrocious. Curt Schilling held the pitching staff’s lowest ERA at 3.97. Could this team do anything right?

2006 wasn’t a completely horrible year though. Sox fans got a glimpse of the future.

Second baseman Dustin Pedroia would make his debut on August 22nd. After winning the Rookie of the Year Award (2007) and the MVP Award (2008), Pedroia became a fan favorite in Boston. He is without question the team leader and spokesman. Perhaps Ryan Kalish can be the 2010 version of Dustin Pedroia?

2006 would also be the breakout year for the future career saves leader, Jonathan Papelbon. As a 25-year-old rookie, Papelbon posted a 0.92 ERA and saved 35 games. Since then, he has saved 178 games.

While there were certainly bright spots such as Papelbon and Pedroia, 2006 was an extremely depressing season. Papelbon, Jason Varitek, Manny Ramirez, and Keith Foulke were each out for an extended period due to injury. As if this wasn’t bad enough, Jon Lester was diagnosed with cancer in August.

This was the worst news of all. Lester was a promising young pitcher who pitched solidly up until a few weeks before the diagnosis. Oh, and it was cancer. Nobody ever would wish that upon another human being.

The injuries to the 2006 team don’t compare to the 2010 team in the sense of number of games missed. It was more the timing of the injuries; most of them happened in August or September. The team won nine games in August and that was pretty much the end of that.

On this date in 2006, the Red Sox had a 65-45 record and were only two games behind the New York Yankees. All of a sudden, once August came and went, the season was gone.

The problem for this year’s team is that the injuries all came at once and the Red Sox were left with a AAA lineup for most of the season. The list of players who have been on the DL is so extensive, it’s laughable.

Dustin Pedroia, Victor Martinez, Kevin Youkilis (out for the rest of the season), Clay Buchholz, Josh Beckett, Jason Varitek, Hideki Okajima, Manny Delcarmen, Mike Cameron, Jacoby Ellsbury, Mike Lowell, Jeremy Hermida, and Daisuke Matsuzaka. This year’s team still has a fighting chance despite all the injuries and bullpen struggles in the first four-plus months.

Six players have practically carried the team on their backs through this injury-riddled season: Kevin Youkilis, Adrian Beltre, David Ortiz, Jon Lester, Clay Buchholz, and Daniel Bard. Unfortunately, Kevin Youkilis is out for the rest of the season. Somebody is going to have to step up.

Terry Francona has to be given an enormous amount of credit. He has been forced to make adjustments to the lineup every day and, for the most part, it appears that he’s pressed all the right buttons.

The Red Sox are currently just five games out of first place in the American League East, with 12 games against the Rays and Yankees to wrap up the season. The Rays and Yankees are practically neck and neck atop the East, only a half game apart. Any win over either of them is a step in the right direction.

The biggest contrast regarding the complexion of the AL East now and four years ago is that the Rays were still mediocre back then. It was pretty much just the Red Sox and the Yankees. The Blue Jays finished ahead of the Sox in the final standings, but they were no better than they are now. The Sox were just that bad and had that much bad luck as far as injuries were concerned.

The Sox have actually had a lot more injury problems this year. Another key difference has been the strength of this year’s pitching staff compared to the mediocrity four years ago.

In 2006, the rotation was Josh Beckett (5.01 ERA), Curt Schilling (3.97 ERA), Tim Wakefield (4.63 ERA), Jon Lester (4.76 ERA), and Matt Clement (6.61 ERA). Julian Tavarez was also slotted as the “spot starter” who filled in because of injuries. He wasn’t very impressive either, carrying a 4.47 ERA.

This year’s regular starters have been much better. I would take a staff consisting of Jon Lester (3.07 ERA), Clay Buchholz (2.66 ERA), John Lackey (4.48 ERA), Daisuke Matsuzaka (3.96 ERA), and Tim Wakefield (5.54 ERA) over the 2006 staff any day of the week.

This year’s team has done considerably well if you take into account all the injuries. Only five games out of first place and 4.5 games out of the wild-card spot, the Red Sox have a chance to surprise everybody. If they win the division, Adrian Beltre has to be considered a favorite to win the MVP Award.

All in all, after closely analyzing both seasons, it doesn’t look like this is anything like 2006. While 2006 had a lot of key injuries, their mediocrity was more because of the players they put onto the field not performing.

The injuries the 2010 team has faced have no comparison. There have just been so many more key injuries to key players all throughout the season. There hasn’t been a day since the first week of the season that the Opening Day lineup has all been on the field.

It would seem logical to give up on this team now, but with a strong August, it’s in the playoffs. I’m not going to give up on this team but I’m not going to hold my breath. All fans have been saying is “Once this team is healthy…”

The thing is, it never will be. Maybe it’s a problem with the medical staff. The Red Sox just can’t stay healthy.

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With the trade deadline behind us and dog days of August upon us, fantasy baseball owners are either making their way towards bragging rights for next season, or making their way towards the local landfill (Hey, it happens to best of us!).  

Whether you spent a fourth round pick on an elite closer, or waited to piece together your closing committee, let’s take a look at how the relief pitchers will finish out the rest of the season.

If you “mixed and matched” your relief corps this season hoping for saves here and there, it’s important to also mix in guys with high strikeout totals and low walk rates (as it is with most pitchers). In previous seasons, I’ve done just a “straight” ranking by position, as opposed to a “tiering” system, but have recently found that the tiering system will help you to better distinguish the difference between a tier-one player and a Tier-two player, ultimately leading to better value.

Tier-One

Mariano Rivera – New York Yankees

Heath Bell – San Diego Padres

Jonathan Papelbon – Boston Red Sox

These top relievers are the same pitchers season after season who continue to be worth every penny for owners who draft them early. Rivera may pitch until he’s 100 years old, but is still the best in the game. Having Kerry Wood help deliver a lead to Mo in the ninth makes him even better.  

Although Bell is involved in trade rumors every season, he continues to be the backbone of a strong bullpen in San Diego, as they push towards a division title.   

Don’t be freaked out by Papelbon being placed on waivers earlier this week, as most players are during this time of the year. “Cinco Ocho” hasn’t posted the strikeout numbers we’ve all wanted in 2010, but he’s still racking up the save numbers and has been one of the top closers over the past four seasons.

Tier-Two

Jonathan Broxton – Los Angeles Dodgers

Brian Wilson – San Francisco Giants

Carlos Marmol – Chicago Cubs

Joakim Soria – Kansas City Royals

Billy Wagner – Atlanta Braves

Jose Valverde – Detroit Tigers

Neftali Feliz – Texas Rangers

Rafeal Soriano – Tampa Bay Rays

The tier-two guys contain a mixture of all reliable closers who have job security. 

Broxton is certainly capable of cracking the tier-one group. After posting a disastrous month of July, his value is down right now. Since the All Star break, Broxton has posted an ERA of 9.00 and has only struck out 4.5 batters per nine innings (K/9 ratio). The recent poor results make you wonder if the big guy is dealing with some type of injury. The Dodgers brought in Octavio Dotel during the trade deadline, but he won’t pose a threat to Broxton unless he goes down with an injury. Dotel was just brought in because of Dodgers’ manager Joe Torre’s love affair with ex-Yankee players.  

Wilson dealt with some small back issues in the beginning of August, but appears to be fine and still remains an undervalued closer.  

The only bright spot with the Chicago Cubs this season is Marlon Byrd’s defense and the strikeouts from Carlos Marmol (16.8 K/9 this season!).

Injuries were the concern with Wagner this offseason for fantasy owners, but those who took a gamble on the left-hander during the late rounds have certainly been rewarded. Wagner and the rest of the Braves’ bullpen have lifted Atlanta into a division lead showing the Phillies that not everything revolves around offense.

Soriano leads the American League in saves with 31 and is also posting a 0.89 WHIP this season. He doesn’t have high strikeout totals like the rest of this group (36 strikeouts in 43 2/3 innings), but doesn’t walk many hitters and has only surrendered three home runs.

Things just keep getting better for the Texas Rangers and Feliz this season. The lights-out fireballer has taken the closer’s role and ran with it, striking out everyone in his way. Feliz’s ERA at home is a high 5.06 this season (thanks to the Ballpark in Arlington) but on the road, Feliz has posted a 1.45 ERA and currently sits in third place in the American League with 29 saves. 

Tier-Three

Francisco Rodriguez- New York Mets

Leo Nunez – Florida Marlins

Matt Capps – Minnesota Twins

Huston Street – Colorado Rockies

Andrew Bailey – Oakland Athletics

The original “K-Rod” has bounced back nicely this season during his second year with the New York Mets. He’s posting better numbers across all categories this season, and could climb into the tier-two section during the final month of play. The fantasy value for Rodriguez has slipped over the past two seasons due to the inability of the Mets to produce save opportunities.

With questions around Nunez’s job security earlier this season, he’s proved that he’s the man down in Miami. Nunez has allowed just one home run and walked 11 batters over 44 1/3 innings this season. With 26 saves already in the books this year, Nunez has matched his career high in saves (26 with the Marlins in 2009).

The Minnesota Twins felt that Jon Rauch was not capable of closing games this season and went out and acquired Capps during the trade deadline. Capps has bounced back this season after an unlucky 2009 in Pittsburgh. Capps is an above-average reliever who posts low strikeout totals (7.4 K/9) and has spent time closing against subpar National League hitters to this point. The move to the American League will truly be a test for Capps, as the NL East doesn’t have Miguel Cabrera types.

Street and Bailey, when healthy, are reliable arms during the ninth inning, but both pitchers have struggled with the injury-bug this season. With not many reliable closing options on their teams, both will continue to see save opportunities.

Tier-Four

Brian Fuentes – Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

Ryan Franklin – St. Louis Cardinals

Bobby Jenks – Chicago White Sox

Francisco Cordero – Cincinnati Reds

Brad Lidge – Philadelphia Phillies

Matt Lindstrom – Houston Astros

Fuentes and the Angels are fading fast in the American League West standings.  Fuentes will continue to close in the ninth, but doesn’t post “wow” numbers. He posted better numbers during the month of July (1.00 ERA, 0.78 WHIP) but continues to have the tendency to give up too many walks and home runs.

Prior to the 2010 season, I warned fantasy owners about Franklin. He uses the magical illusion of smoke and mirrors to deceive fantasy owners into thinking he is a top closer when in fact, he’s not. Franklin has a 25/6 K/BB rate over 42 2/3 innings and left-handed hitters have a stat line of .303/.333/.515 against him this season, making him avoidable. Manager Tony LaRussa is also known for riding the hot hand and playing the matchups. If Franklin fades down the stretch, so could his save opportunities.

Lidge this season has been inconsistent, but with the Phillies are really left with no other options during the ninth inning, so look for Phillies’ manager Charlie Manuel to stick with Lidge.

Tier-Five

David Aardsma – Seattle Mariners

Chris Perez – Cleveland Indians

Kevin Gregg – Toronto Blue Jays

John Axford – Milwaukee Brewers

Joel Hanrahan – Pittsburgh Pirates

Drew Storen – Washington Nationals

Alfredo Simon – Baltimore Orioles

Aaron Heilman – Arizona Diamondbacks

Aardsma – see above under Ryan Franklin. Aarsdma has blown four saves this season and has also walked 16 batters over 34 1/3 innings. With the chances of the Mariners actually having a lead during the ninth inning slim, Aardsma has little fantasy appeal.

 Perez finally ends up where he belongs – pitching in the ninth and closing out games. Too bad it’s for the Cleveland Indians. With Wood leaving via a trade, Perez controls his own destiny and is a viable fantasy option for cheap saves the rest of the season.

Prior to Hoffman imploding back in May, most knew little or nothing about Axford. With little bullpen relief on the Brewers, Axford was given the job and hasn’t looked back since. Yes, Axford has the unknown factor surrounding his name, but with a sweet mustache and a 10.8 K/9 ratio this season, he’s a reliable bottom tier closer.

With Dotel leaving for Los Angeles, Hanrahan takes over the closer duties for the Bucs. It was a toss up for the ninth inning job between Hanrahan and All-Star Meek, but with Hanrahan owning more ninth inning experience, the Pirates will roll the dice with him. Hanrahan will have the same value as Dotel did when he was closing games for Pittsburgh, but fantasy owners shouldn’t be afraid to own either Meek or Hanrahan.

The Storen era is officially set to begin in Washington. The Nationals have stated that they will use a closer committee role the rest of the season with Storen, Tyler Clippard, and Sean Burnett, but Storen is your guy long term. Clippard posted horrible July numbers with a 7.90 ERA during 12 appearances. Clippard has already logged over 62 innings this season which is a career high for him, so fatigue could be playing a factor. Burnett, a former first round pick for the Pirates, is holding right-handed hitters to just a .174/.245/.209 stat line over 86 at-bats this season, while lefties are hitting .302/.371/.476 over 63 at-bats.  Oh year, Burnett has a career 6.71 ERA and a 1.67 WHIP from the month of August until the end of the season. Take in this order: Storen, Clippard, and Burnett.

Orioles’ manager Buck Showalter didn’t fool around with the bullpen during his fist game on Tuesday evening. Mike Gonzalez recorded the first two outs during the ninth before being replaced by Simon, who recorded the final out for the save. With the Orioles having nothing to lose by trotting Simon out there, the whole closing situation in Baltimore is a toss-up. Gonzalez wants to pitch in the ninth inning badly and appears to have regained the velocity on his fastball which has been missing all season, so anything can happen. Be warned.

The Arizona Diamondbacks are in shambles this season, and the bullpen isn’t exempt from the mess. In one of my earlier pieces, I wrote that Gutierrez was the favorite to earn save opportunities for Arizona given the recent failures of Chad Qualls and Aaron Heilman. With Qualls leaving for sunny Florida, D-backs’ manager Kirk Gibson was still reluctant to name a closer.  With Gutierrez hitting the disabled-list with a right shoulder injury, it’s Heilman’s turn on the carousel. I also like rookie Sam Demel as a potential replacement for Gutierrez, as he’s posted 21/5 K/BB over 20 1/3 innings. 

 – All statistical data provided via Baseball-Reference.com

Reggie Yinger is the Senior Editor at Baseball Press and his writing has appeared in a men’s national magazine publication.  He also contributes exclusive writings to The Fantasy Fix. You can contact him at 

reggie@baseballpress.com or follow him on Twitter 

@sacksjacked.

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A mystery American League team has claimed Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon off waivers, according to FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal.

Given Papelbon’s success in Boston and the lack of leverage in a waiver-claim trade, the Red Sox will most likely pull Papelbon back off waivers.

While it might seem absurd to many that the Red Sox would consider trading their All-Star closer, Boston’s ever dwindling playoff hopes make it more conceivable every day. That said, the asking price would be astronomical, and it’s unlikely the claiming team would be willing to pay it.

The Los Angeles Angels, Detroit Tigers, and Chicago White Sox all seem like plausible candidates to have made the claim, but the team’s identity remains unknown a full day after the claim was exercised.

Although Papelbon has collected 176 saves in just five seasons as the Red Sox’ closer, his walk, strikeout, and homerun percentages are all heading in the wrong directions while his salaries continue only to increase.

Papelbon is earning a still-affordable $9.35 million this season, but that number will surely climb into eight-figure territory in 2011, Papelbon’s last season before hitting free agency.

With Daniel Bard waiting in the wings, it isn’t out of the realm of possibility that the Red Sox would part with Papelbon, again for the right price.

To put Papelbon’s salary in sabermetric context, Boston’s closer has never exceeded $13.5 million in value since he took over that role in 2006. Mariano Rivera has never been worth more than $14.2 million.

While it’s difficult to put a price tag on winning, Papelbon is on the verge of costing more than he’s worth. Certainly in free agency or a contract extension, Papelbon will command more money than he’s worth, and it would seem uncharacteristic of the Red Sox to keep him around at an unreasonable price.

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If you’re like me and have been distracted by the World Cup and LeBron-gate over these past few weeks, you were probably shocked to learn that baseball’s midway point is already upon us.

So to help you get into the swing of things as we head toward the playoffs, here are 50 Reasons To Be Excited For The Second Half of the season…

1. Major League Baseball Home Run Leader, Jose Bautista: So, are we sure George Mitchell caught everyone who was using steroids? Just asking.

2. The Hope That The Cardinals Make An Unexpected Run To The World Series: Just to see Tony LaRussa managing the 2011 All-Star game in Phoenix.

3. The Ongoing Texas Rangers Bankruptcy Trial: You knew things were bad when reports came out last week that Nolan Ryan was opening a lemonade stand.

4. David Wright and “The Situation”: I don’t care if the Mets end up making the playoffs or not. This video clip will always be the highlight of their 2010 season.

5. The White Sox Resurgence: Question: We always hear about Brian Cashman and Theo Epstein, but why doesn’t Kenny Williams ever get credit for being one of the elite GM’s in baseball? This roster has been made over more times than Joan Rivers’ face, yet here come the White Sox again, closing in on another division title.

6. The Pittsburgh Pirates: Going on 14 straight sub-.500 seasons and counting. Well, at least Pittsburgh still has that Roethlisberger guy… Umm, never mind.

7. The Summer of Strasburg: Strasburg has sold more jersey’s in six months than anyone ever has as a rookie. I don’t care what the experts say, he should have been on the All-Star team.

8. Cubs Pitcher Carlos Zambrano: I mean, at this point, I feel like it’d be cruel to pile on. So instead, just insert your own joke here.

9. Josh Johnson: No joke to make here, the dude is just filthy. My only wish is that I got to watch him pitch more often.

(Because of length, this is only PART of Aaron’s 50 Reasons To Be Excited For the Second Half of the Baseball Season. To read the REMAINDER, visit www.aarontorres-sports.com)

10. My First Trip to Camden Yards: Which is scheduled for next week. Anyone have any suggestions?

11. My First Trip to the New Yankee Stadium: Which is scheduled for sometime before the end of the summer. Anyone have tickets they want to give away?

12. The Bobby Cox Farewell Tour: Anyone want to chip in on a fruit basket?

13. Miguel Cabrera: If he wins the Triple Crown, does that mean we can’t make anymore jokes about last year’s .23 blood/alcohol content?

14. Baseball’s Continued Pitching Revolution: Which, just for the record, I pointed out about a full month before the rest of the national media.

15. Jon Lester’s Starts: He throws hard, throws strikes, is efficient, and that cutter is deadly. Watching him pitch has been my favorite part of this Red Sox season so far.

16. Daisuke Matsuzaka’s Starts: Take everything I just said about Lester’s starts and flip it around. I don’t care if he’s pitching relatively well this year. He’s slow, boring, and has set the game of baseball back 20 years. I hate the guy.

17. My Preseason Prop Bet That Mark Reynolds Would Lead the Majors in Home Runs: Let’s just say I got good odds. Let’s just say if he comes through, I’m buying everyone their own Mark Reynolds bobble head. Let’s just say nothing, since gambling isn’t really legal in this country.

18. The San Diego Padres Run Toward a Division Crown: Look on the bright side Padres fans: Even if they don’t make the playoffs, well, you still live in San Diego. Which means you’ve already got the rest of us beat.

19. Chan Ho Park’s Bowel Movements: Will he survive the entire second half without another case of explosive diarrhea? Stay tuned to find out.

20. Kendry Morales’ Broken Leg: I still haven’t decided who that broken leg was more damaging to: The Angels, or my fantasy team.

21. New Blue Jays Shortstop Yunel Escobar: Gotta love Buster Olney’s story from Thursday of when Escobar wished one of his Braves teammates a Happy Birthday, and the guy responded by saying that the only gift he wanted was for Escobar to play hard that night. Hmm…I wonder why he got traded?

22. The Patterson Brothers: Corey plays outfield for the Orioles. Eric was called up to the Red Sox before the All-Star break. Now we finally know what it would have been like if Chris Gwynn and Craig Griffey had been brothers.

23. Because Thanks To Baseball: We can finally stop talking about LeBron.

24. Corey Hart: I don’t care about the home runs. Doesn’t he just look like a fun guy to hang out with?

25. The All-Star Game’s Record-Low Ratings: Once again proving my theory that the only thing dying at a faster rate than baseball is the porn industry.

(This is just PART of Aaron’s 50 Reasons To Be Excited For the Remainder of the Baseball Season. To read the rest, please click here or visit him at www.aarontorres-sports.com.

Also, for Aaron’s take on all things sports, be sure to follow him on Twitter @Aaron_Torres or at Facebook.com/AaronTorresSports and download his APP for your iPhone or Android)

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Saves….some people care about them, some people could care less.  For those that do care, it’s time to take a close look at each team’s closer role.  It’s July and the sample sizes are large enough to see some trends.  So here we go…

What to watch for

Blue Jays –  Either Kevin Gregg beat out Jason Frasor or Frasor lost the job to Gregg. No matter how you slice it, the Blue Jays should have a few save opportunities each week.  Gregg has all the experience of a closer who has lost a job before; will they go back to Frasor if Gregg falters? 

Scott Downs or Shawn Camp could get looks at the end of games, but by the time that happens the Jays would be out of contention this year and could look elsewhere.  But I could be getting ahead of myself. There are a lot of reasons to think Gregg is going to continue to get the job done.  Gregg is 18 for 21 so far this year, his ERA could be a concern, but if you’re looking for saves…he’s got them.

Mariners –  The Mariners’ last save was earned by Brandon League, who converted his second save of the year.  David Aardsma had pitched the previous two days, so there isn’t much to read into the save chance for League. 

But then Aardsma went on to blow the Mariners next save opportunity.  Aardsma has now blown more saves than he did all of 2009.  At 3 percent owned in Y! leagues, League will be presented with more chances this summer and now is the time to take a shot.

Angels –  There is nothing more frustrating than being an Angels fan with the lead in the ninth inning.  Brian Fuentes has made for great baseball drama, but he still closes games out and continues to get the chances for the Angles. 

In waiting is Fernando Rodney (38 percent owned in Y! leagues), who has done well when given the chance.  Rodney recently blew his second save chance, but if the Angles look to move past Fuentes, Rodney will be their guy. 

The move has to be coming soon.  Fuentes is so good at blowing saves, he blew a save without even giving up a hit!  And to top it all off…. the front office could dictate a move since Fuentes owns a contract clause which forces the Angels to pay him $3.25 million next year if he gets 59 appearances (he’s made 25 so far this year).

Red Sox –  Get to know Daniel Bard (23 percent owned), who is leading the Red Sox bullpen in appearances, innings, ERA, Ks, and WHIP.  But the closer is Jonathan Papelbon today and he’ll be the closer tomorrow.  However, if a window of opportunity comes up, Bard is next in line.

White Sox –  The White Sox closer, Bobby Jenks, has been on the bereavement list this week and the team just kept rolling on.  Jenks has only blown one save this year, so his job isn’t in jeopardy.  If he is to slip up, the Sox can turn to Matt Thorton (57 percent owned) or a rejuvenated J.J. Putz (13 percent).

Nothing to see here

Orioles –  There is not much to be said about the situation in Baltimore.  The team doesn’t win often and unfortunately, your team needs to win the game in order to qualify for a save.  Alfredo Simon has saved 10 games so far, but he’s only seen 19 innings of action this year.  And when he’s seen playing time, he hasn’t put up the strikeouts and statistics that are important to us.

Indians –  The Indians sit in the cellar of the AL Central, therefore there just aren’t that many save opportunities to go around.  Kerry Wood is getting the rare save chances today, of which he’s converted eight saves. 

Chris Perez was doing the closing earlier in the year and he managed to get seven. The Indians could go back to Perez, but the team won’t offer up enough save situations to give either pitcher much value. 

Even though they’re riding a hot streak, the team figures to trade veterans this month and make moves with their future in mind.  Therefore we shouldn’t expect the hot streak to continue.

The closer role is on lock down…

Yankees –   Death, Taxes, and Mariano Rivera….the three guarantees in life.

Rays –   Reminds me of taking a kicker from a good team—you know you’ll do good enough.  Rafael Soranio just has to stay healthy to continue closing.  If he did get hurt, someone could be in line for saves and the Rays have a few solid arms.  Look for Grant Balfour and Dan Wheeler to back up Soranio if he gets hurt.

Twins –  The Twins haven’t missed a beat since Joe Nathan was put on the shelf this spring.  Jon Rauch has settled in nicely to the closer role and it doesn’t appear that anyone is threatening his role.

Tigers  – H is antics on the field aren’t the classiest, but Jose Valverde’s results are top notch.  So far this year he’s locked up 18 saves and posted a minuscule 0.53 ERA.  Valverde is supported by one of the best bullpens in baseball, but they just lost Joel Zumaya to a fractured elbow and this could impact Valverde’s opportunities.  Still, he’s one of the best at what he does and the Tigers win games.

Royals –   A really effective closer on a bad team can be a good thing.  Joakim Soria has managed to accumulate 108 saves in his four years of service with the Royals.  There aren’t any indicators to think that he won’t keep racking up saves for the rest of the year, with 21 so far.  Look for Soria to top 40 saves this year and flirt with 50 if the Royals can put together some wins.

Rangers –  The Rangers close out their games with one of the hardest throwers in baseball, 22-year-old Neftali Feliz.  Feliz has saved 21 games this year and he didn’t even have the job out of spring training—Frank Francisco won the job out of camp. 

But since taking over, Feliz has been dominant, striking out 38 in just over 35 innings.  Feliz is a must-own and if you’re looking for saves he should be a buy high target given the Rangers hot streak and weak division.

Athletics –  The 2009 AL Rookie of the Year, Andrew Bailey, has saved 16 games so far this year and posted a 1.64 ERA.  He’s blown three chances, but all things considered, it is safe to say that Bailey has faded the sophomore jinx.  Even if he struggles, the Athletics will stand behind Bailey and give him time to work things out.  

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Jonathan Papelbon should be looking over his shoulder. At first considered the rock of the Red Sox bullpen, Papelbon is quickly eroding his own reputation and opening the door for the more consistent, if still more raw, Daniel Bard.

Still, despite certain trade rumors to the contrary, this writer is confident that Papelbon won’t be dealt this season.

That’s not to preclude a move as early as this offseason, particularly if Papelbon continues to struggle shutting the door. Indeed, rather than shortening games, Papelbon’s 2010 performances have begun shortening his career in Boston.

Yet, as nail-biting have been his appearances this year, Papelbon remains one of the elite closers in the game, and he and Bard have emerged as the only solid pieces in a fatigued and aging pen.

Hideki Okajima renders a shadow of his Championship self when he toes the rubber. Since his magical Rookie year as Daisuke Matsuzaka’s tag along, when Okajima posted a 2.22 ERA, Red Sox fans have watched with growing unease as that unexpectedly effective number has risen to an appalling 5.47 in 2010.

Manny Delcarmen, long more dominant early in the season than later, has already started to show his post-May colors. While his 2010 season ERA rests at a tidy 3.03, in June Delcarmen has been knocked around to a 7.36 mark. Over his career, Delcarmen has indeed become increasingly less effective as his innings mount, and if he follows that track, he could post a post-All-Star-break ERA in the neighborhood of 8.00.

After achieving a shocking level of excellence with his 2.84 ERA during the 2009 Red Sox campaign, former Rule 5 Draft pick Ramon Ramirez has regressed to his earlier, more disastrous days with the Rockies and now sadly owns a 4.88 ERA in 2010. Like Delcarmen, innings and late summer months are no friends of Ramirez, and he should only prove less effective as the many, many games roll by.

Thus, regardless of Jonathan Papelbon’s future as a major trade chip and Daniel Bard’s potential as the Sox’ next closer, the 2010 Red Sox are in serious need of relief if they are to contend down the stretch in the suddenly thickly contested American League East.

Now, according to MLBTradeRumors.com, Red Sox Assistant General Manager Ben Cherington commented on Sirius XM Radio that Boston will in fact be looking to upgrade its bullpen before the trade deadline.

Through a combination of team record, individual performance, franchise finances, and individual contract, these 20 relievers are the most attractive candidates to fill Boston’s currently Zombie-filled pen.

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I wasn’t all too surprised when the Rockies’ Ian Stewart clubbed a game-tying homer off Boston Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon. Then a shrug of the shoulders and a shake of the head followed the winning shot by Jason Giambi, an old nemesis when he was with the New York Yankees. Despite this struggle, Papelbon has put up serviceable numbers. It was just his second blown save of the season. Yet, he only had three all of last year. There is no question that something is wrong with him.

His fastball is straighter than usual and has lost some velocity. Bad combination. And the result is 7.58 strikeout-to-walk ratio, down three whole points from last year’s mark. His ERA is 3.64 this season; last year, it was a sparkling 1.85. Hitters are seeing 3.86 pitches per at-bat compared to 4.15 last season, meaning his repertoire lacks unpredictability. Opponents are sitting dead red and teeing off. Overall, he has allowed six homers, one more than last season’s total. If he allows one or two more runs and three more earned runs, he will amass last season’s totals as well. His WHIP (walks and hits per inning pitched) is its highest since his rookie season.

Daniel Bard, the Red Sox 24-year old flamethrower, pitched one-and-one-third scoreless innings of relief prior to Papelbon’s appearance to begin the ninth. His outing, and its contrast to Papelbon’s, exemplified the differences between the two pitchers. Bard is waiting in the wings. He is Papelbon’s successor, and I believe he should succeed him now. He is much younger, his fastball has six more miles-per-hour attached, and his offspeed pitches are far more effective. This season, he has been their best middle reliever, compiling 16 holds with a 2.13 ERA. He does have four blown saves to his name and has relinquished four homers, but overall his statistics dwarf Papelbon’s.

Papelbon is still an All-Star caliber closer. In basketball terms, he’s just lost a step. But since he is still relatively young and has the ability to rack up saves, he could bring a lot in return if put on the trade market. Boston could at least get a few good young players for his services, preferably an outfielder, a relief pitcher, and possibly a shortstop.

Bard could struggle out of the gate in Papelbon’s stead, but I would rather see him scuffle during the transition than watch someone in decline with value on the trade market serve up bombs. Bard has the tools to flourish in Papelbon’s role. Papelbon no longer does.

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