Sox ship Pineiro to Cardinals
This entry was posted on 8/1/2007 1:26 PM and is filed under 2007,AL East News,AL East Standings,Red Sox News,Boston Red Sox Information,Probable Pitchers,Transactions,St. Louis Cardinals,Red Sox Days - Media,MLB News,Prospects,2007 Red Sox Season,Trade Rumors,Joel Pineiro.
8/1/2007
The Red Sox found a taker for Joel Pineiro, trading the right-hander
and cash considerations to the Cardinals for a player to be named later
on Tuesday.
Pineiro was designated for assignment by the Red Sox a week ago,
which meant that the team had a 10-day window to either trade him,
release him or send him to the Minor Leagues.
Pineiro accepted an option to Triple-A Pawtucket last week with
hopes of being stretched out so he could return to his preferred role
as a starting pitcher.
He made two starts for Pawtucket, the most recent of which was a five-inning performance on July 29 at Columbus.
Almost exclusively a starting pitcher before moving to the
bullpen for the Mariners late last season, the Red Sox thought Pineiro
could be a key reliever for them in 2007. He was signed to a one-year
contract that included a base salary of $4 million and incentive
clauses for games finished.
But once Jonathan Papelbon went back to the closer's role late
in Spring Training, Pineiro was no longer in the running for that spot.
He struggled to find a steady bullpen role for the Red Sox, going 1-1 with a 5.03 ERA in 31 appearances.
Pineiro, 28, has a career record of 59-56 with a 4.50 ERA. Of his 216
career appearances, 148 have been starts. The best season of Pineiro's
career was 2003, when he went 16-11 with a 3.78 ERA. He posted 14 wins
in 2002. However, beginning in 2004, Pineiro has struggled to find
consistency in whatever role he has pitched in.
