ESPN reports that Papelbon will be a closer again( http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/spring2007/news/story?id=2808345). This seems like a good decision because A) he's had some struggles with his command a starter B) They're closing options are looking pretty bad C) Their starting rotation is pretty crowded with Schilling, Beckett, Matsuzaka, Wakefield, Lester, and Clement.
Papelbon will probably be a 4.00 ERA starter, which is pretty good, but if their replacement for that is a 4.5 ERA starter, than it's not that much better, while if he's close to his last year form of .92 ERA closer, than that will be much better than a 5.00 ERA Pineiro closer. The only problem is that he is talented enough to be a starter, and I think that closing isn't necessarily helpful for starting because it forces you to focus on your best pitches and not your worst. Doing long relief stints like Johan Santana did would be better for his career, but better for this season would be to put in him the closer role again.
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I drafted him in 2 leagues as a starter and he went pretty late, but if he had been a closer, he would have gone much higher. So I guess under that logic, he SHOULD be the closer.
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