Save Arroyo
By Brian Mason
Forget baseball’s winter hot stove rumors. The league is currently smoldering around a ridiculous summer bonfire. The only thing that the never-ending and always-changing reports confirm is that lot of teams want what very few are willing to give.
Naturally, the Red Sox are right in the thick of the trade rumors. For some reason, several teams have become infatuated with Florida’s A.J. Burnett – Boston included. Apparently, the cool thing to do if you’re a team in need of pitching is to hop on the Burnett bandwagon. If you want to have any chance at making the playoffs this year, your front office should clearly make the Marlins an offer.
Shortly after the Orioles-Marlins trade fizzled after Florida tried to attach the overpriced third baseman Mike Lowell, the Red Sox allegedly starting working a trade for Burnett. Unfortunately, the price for the "best starter available" seems to be concentrated on Boston pitcher Bronson Arroyo.
I’m here to make a plea to save Bronson Arroyo.
Putting aside my bias for a moment towards Arroyo as my favorite pitcher, the trade just does not make sense. Arroyo is 8-6 with a 4.26 ERA, Burnett is 7-6 with a 3.48 ERA. So what if Arroyo’s let a few more balls fly? When he’s been on, he’s been fantastic. He has had his fair share of shaky starts, but so has Burnett, who is even more streaky than Arroyo (I’m not just talking out of my ass here; Burnett is on my fantasy team and I have followed all of his starts, frequently considering dropping him from my roster.)
As far as I am concerned, the two pitchers are almost comparable. I honestly do not think that Burnett will make such an obvious and wonderfully positive impact that a trade is worth completing. Arroyo comes cheap, Burnett does not. And Burnett’s contract is up in a year and, following this summer’s hype, will certainly be trying to sell himself as a necessary ace.
But Arroyo has been through the trenches with the Red Sox. He got his first taste of postseason pressure last year and can only be looking to improve. And the right hander certainly has some balls. Arroyo never seems to be afraid to throw inside at a batter, and his pitches have certainly improved during his two years as a starter.
And besides, I love watching Arroyo pitch. His leg kick is one of the most exciting in the league and he seems to thrill in the spotlight whenever he takes the mound. But the best part about Arroyo is that whenever he gets taken out of a game, he looks genuinely angry at himself for wasting his opportunities. Arroyo is a competitor, and that means a lot more to me than any number of strikeouts Burnett may have already acquired this season.
I want as many of the players from last year’s championship team as possible to try and vie for a championship this year. Boston’s starting pitching is not as bad as many people are making it out to seem, nor is it nearly as bad as many other teams.’ The starters they have now are fine (Schilling should be back soon, hopefully,) – it is the relievers that need help.
The Red Sox should stop concentrating on adding another starter and fix their ever-decaying bullpen. In the meantime, I, personally, cannot wait for Bronson Arroyo’s next start. Boston has a great pitcher who loves the city he plays in, loves the team he plays for, and loves the game he plays. Please, save Bronson Arroyo.
