JohntheBaptist said:
Ras, get over yourself.
It really is simple--Masterson was pursued as a starter and signed based at least in part on this. It was then made clear to everyone upon his signing that that's where the Red Sox are interested in him pitching. Joe Kelly was given none of those assurances, is younger, and does not have Masterson's track record. You could easily make a case that either will be more effective as a SP next year, so it isn't a slam dunk in either direction for strictly on-the-field reasons.
It's easier to move Joe Kelly of the two to the bullpen for that reason, and were they to have signed Shields, that's almost definitely what would have happened. So, you're wrong, even though you used the caps lock and everything. We get you're not a big Masterson guy, but where that concerns what the Sox are going to do, no one gives a fuck.
Joe Kelly was acquired as a starter just as much as Justin Masterson was. As a starter, his track record consists of two years with an ERA+ over 84. They were well over 84, I grant you, but his best season was four years ago and even at the time, nobody thought it was anything but a fluke. He's a guy whose upside is slightly better than league average and whose huge platoon split is begging for a bullpen role. Half the reason he's slated for the rotation is so there's an easily identifiable person to get bumped from the rotation when Owens or Rodriguez are ready.
Kelly's platoon differential is literally about half as big as Masterson's, just looking at their starter numbers, Kelly is the guy who keeps folks off the bases better. Kelly walks a little more than three per nine, Masterson has been higher than that every year except 2011. Masterson strikes out more to the tune of a batter and a quarter per nine innings.
And the argument that Masterson should be starting over Kelly is what exactly? The 0.22 difference in their FIP? The 0.25 difference in their xFIP?
There's not that much difference in their overall quality, Masterson is the one that would benefit the most from hand selecting the batters he faces, and Kelly, by virtue of being younger, is the one more likely to improve on his previous baseline.
But Masterson is obviously the starter because why?
The real reason is that he's the veteran, not because there's any actual logic behind it.
SydneySox said:
It's probably time for you to take a break there, fella.
Maybe check back with us in around, say, August, we'll see how you're feeling.
I'll be hot. Very, very hot.
TomRicardo said:
The Red Sox will be well on their way to 100 wins by then
I'm fairly certain the Sox will indeed have most of those 100 wins by August. The end of August, at least.