Graduation Day

Delcarmen, Hansen, Lester, and Lopez (which one of these things is not like the others?) were called into Francona’s office yesterday and were told by Tito that the team plans to keep them in Boston. No more Pawtucket shuttle.

Lester will stick in the rotation, while the other three will join Timlin as the bridge to Papelbon. Seanez and Tavarez are going to get the garbage time, apparently.

“I talked to all of them today because I think we’re getting to the point where we’d like to keep them here, if possible, and have them carry some of that responsibility in the bullpen,” said Francona. “I wanted them to understand their responsibilities, to just be a professional, to care about winning games. I want them to pitch with confidence and to know that we’re not going to back away from them. This isn’t an instance where they have to be here. We kind of want them here.”

Francona admitted to being “a little bit excited” about the blend of young and old arms in the bullpen.

(From the Herald, though almost all the papers have the same quotes.)

Is this a good thing? I think it is. Maybe not if you are Rudy Seanez or Julian Tavarez, I suppose. As we get into midseason trade talk, the team needs to figure out which needs it can fill from within the organization and which needs it can’t.