Hansen signed?  While there has been no official announcement from the Red Sox, the Boston Globe reported on Sunday that the club has signed highly touted reliever Craig Hansen. The Red Sox selected Hansen with the 26th overall pick in the June Draft.

 

According to the newspaper, Hansen signed a Major League contract that is worth $4 million over four years. Hansen, arguably the premiere collegiate reliever in the nation for St. John's, is likely to start at Class A. There's a chance he could have a stint with the Red Sox before the end of the season.

 

Link.

 

Scroll down a little bit to see it. Is Hansen good enough to pitch down the stretch for the Red Sox, especially with the state of their bullpen?

 

BTW -- I posted it in here because I thought I could get some better discussion...

Edited July 24, 200520 yr by CWSGuy406

Why would they start him in A ball if they hope to use him down the stretch?

Most experts said Hansen was set to be a quick mover. Boston is desperate for defensive help so if he can pitch well from here on out in the minors, I could easily see them giving him a shot in September. If he pitches well I could see him on the post-season roster.

 

On a sidenote, a lot of guys sign Major league contracts. It more puts a damper on the options. IIRC they really don't have any or something along those lines (it had some sort of effect on Willy Mo Pena not being able to get send down at least).

Why would they start him in A ball if they hope to use him down the stretch?

 

A's did the same thing with Street last year and he should have been in the majors. We'll see Hansen in September barring major suckage.

A's did the same thing with Street last year and he should have been in the majors. We'll see Hansen in September barring major suckage.

Yeah, I guess my question is why wouldn't they start him in AA or AAA if the concensus is that he's ready?

A's did the same thing with Street last year and he should have been in the majors. We'll see Hansen in September barring major suckage.

Ya, especially when you consider how bad Boston's pen is right now. Hansen has better stuff than Chief (aka Chad Cordero) who made it to the bigs in his first season drafted for the Nationals. Of course Cordero mixes his stuff with great control (his hard slider is nasty too).

Yeah, I guess my question is why wouldn't they start him in AA or AAA if the concensus is that he's ready?

Mainly because he's been out for a while. You basically want him to get his feet wet. Get him some confidence and some innings than move him up a few weeks at a time.