Categories: Posts

Penny Could've Been Perfect Low-Risk, High-Reward Move

The Red Sox recently signed right-handed pitcher Brad Penny to a one-year, $5M deal. The deal includes an additional $3M in performance incentives.

Some of you may remember me spreading the idea that Penny would be a fantastic signing for the Phillies. For $5 million and one year, he’s a steal. Originally, I thought Penny would require $7M-$8M at the least, and potentially a two-year deal, but the Sox are really getting a coup here.

Penny has a career 4.06 ERA, and is coming off a 2007 that was his best season yet. While his 2008 was horrible statistically, it mostly came from a ton of injuries. Now healthy, Penny may not reel off the same ace-worthy season that he produced in 2007, but it could be very close.

Of course, I’ve been wrong. I stated Bartolo Colon would be a coup in 2008. The Red Sox signed him too, and he started OK (4-2, 3.92 ERA) but suffered an injury (against the Phils, no less) that ended his campaign. Hey, it worked for a while.

But Penny is one of those low-risk, high-reward moves that a top team like the Phils are known to bank from. The Sox might very well have that luck in 2009. I do wish the shot was taken.

Tim Malcolm

Tim first found the Phillies as a little infant at Veteran’s Stadium, cheering on a Juan Samuel game-winning home run in his very first game. With the pinstripes in his blood, he witnessed Terry Mulholland’s 1990 no-hitter, “Steve Carlton Night” at the Vet, game three of the 1993 World Series, countless games during the charmed 2008 championship season and various road excursions. Since November 2007 Tim’s been writing about them daily at Phillies Nation, becoming one of the world’s most popular Phillies scribes. You can catch him on Twitter and Facebook, as well. When he’s not talking about the Phils he’s relaxing with a St. Bernardus ABT 12 or one of his many favored brews.