Closer?

Right, well as the rest of the team is falling into place, only one key position needs to be filled and most likely, this will happen during Spring Training. I'm just gonna give my two cents on each of the players contesting for this position come April.

Joel Piniero. Just today are the Sox said to have acquired Piniero from free agency to fill either the closer role, or strengthen the bullpen. This deal is looking at one year for $4m pending a physical to come later this week. Piniero posted 6.36ERA with an 8-13 for Seattle last season as a starter. Although this deal could work out for the better, I wouldn't be surprised if he was used as a bargaining chip to obtain a tried and tested closer.

Chad Cordero. Chad could be that tried and tested closer that the Sox are looking for. After Gagne signed with Texas, Cordero has seemed to interest the Sox as the next best thing. Posting a 3.19 ERA with 29 saves and a 7-4 record last season with the Nationals, he is definately a possibility. However, he isn't going cheaply. The Nationals want Clay Buchholz and Craig Hansen or Michael Bowden in exchange. The Sox have said their star prospect Buchholz is not going but that they are listening to deals for Hansen or Bowden.

Mike Timlin. Timlin is now a possibility although last season wasn't a particularly stellar one for him. A 4.36ERA with only 9 saves and a 6-6 record, his stats seem very mediocre and will really need something special to get given the important role of closer. I don't see Timlin's aspirations for closer as being that realistic.

Craig Hansen. Hansen has yet to really break out in the majors even though so much talk about him has been going on since his drafting in '05. His MLB record isn't fantastic with 6.63ERA and a 2-2 win/loss. Yet he is still a prospect and if he is able to show some hot stuff in spring training, he could be a serious contender for the role.

Julian Tavarez. Tavarez became an important part of the Sox team in the second half of the season in 06 playing lots in the bullpen and even making some starts in the desperate days. Some of his starts were convincing and if this skill can be diverted into the closer role, Tavarez's experience may make him a shoe-in for the role. Last season he had a 4.47ERA and a 5-4 record.

Manny Delcarmen. Delcarmen, another Sox prospect and a Mass local is also contending for the role of closer. He posted a 5.06ERA with a 2-0 record in '06 and had trouble with consistency, having some good and some bad days. If this young pitcher can pull himself together, the closer spot may be in his reach, however I feel that the Sox are still looking for someone of more experience in this position.

Jonathan Papelbon. On a return of Jon Lester to the rotation, do not discard the notion that if no other strong closers appear, Pap could be playing the role as he did last year. His 0.92ERA with 35 saves is enough for him to easily win this spot, but the team has shown interest into putting him into what could end up being a 6 man rotation. This guy is reliable at closer, although I'm still slightly skeptical about him maintaining his pitching intensity over more than a couple innings, time will tell.