Fear not, Red Sox fans who think the rotation is not deep enough. Ben Cherington has saved the day with the signing of the mighty Carlos Silva.
Per MLBTradeRumors, Silva headlines a list of 11 players the Sox signed to minor-league deals today. Other notables: Rich Hill (which has already been reported), knuckleballer Charlie Haegar, old Phillies reliever Brandon Duckworth, and child of a good player Tony Pena, Jr.
Silva represents the type of player Cherington said he'd be going after. With the Twins, he was occasionally an effective pitcher (notably in 2005 and 2007). Then he signed a big-money deal with the Mariners and showed his John Lackey side. Two years of ERAs north of 6 allowed him to find himself sent packing, winding up with the Cubs. He was actually decent, pitching 113 innings over 21 starts, going 10-6 with a 4.22 ERA and 1.27 WHIP.
Now, those numbers aren't showstoppers, and this is the NL Central. But when he was getting beat up, it was in the AL West, and in a pitcher's park in Seattle. So maybe his effectiveness (or lack thereof) had more to do with his own issues than peripheral things such as the team or ballpark.
Silva's still very much a long shot to make the team much less be in the rotation. But he's a name to keep an eye on as a potential to make the rotation. Remember: This time last year, Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia being good in New York sounded just as crazy.
