Joel Pinerio: Red Sox's Closer?

Pinerio is auditioning for the closer's job this spring, despite making comments after he was signed that suggested the job was his, the Boston Globe reports.

With a one-year, $4 million deal the Red Sox, Pineiro is a low-risk addition to the bullpen given the inflated market for mediocre arms this winter. "One thing we saw in our scouting evaluations," pitching coach John Farrell said, "was that in short stints, his velocity got back up to the mid-90s, and the action and life to his pitches increased in short stints." Pineiro is also changing the arm slot that he used in Seattle last year, after posting an ERA over six for the Mariners. If he proves to be an effective option to close games, Pinerio would enable his competition for the job to return to their more familiar late-inning set-up roles, while giving the Red Sox one of the stronger bullpens in the league. We'll follow Pineiro's performance this spring.
Source: RotoWire.com