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| Closer To A Closer? |
Multiple reports suggest that—despite having a healthy
Andrew Bailey this year—
the Red Sox are going after a trade that would net them Pirates closer Joel Hanrahan. The Dodgers are also in on Hanrahan—and could likely offer better starting pitching options than Boston. However, the
breadth of prospects the Sox could send to the Iron City (including starters) might be more appealing to the Bucs. Hanrahan is one of the best kept secrets in baseball, posting back-to-back 35+ save years in 2011 and 2012. He pitched 59 2/3 innings last year and gave up only 40 hits, while saving 36 games for a mediocre Pirate team. His walks went up dramatically between 2011 and 2012 (from 16 to 36), but his strikeout-to-walk ratio is still decent (1.86:1).
