Brad Penny Signs with Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox decided to spend some of the money they saved when Mark Teixeira signed with the New York Yankees by agreeing to a deal with free agent pitcher Brad Penny. Penny, who spent the last four and a half season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, will vie for a spot in the Red Sox rotation.

The deal with Penny is believed to be worth $5 million, however he could end up making $8 million if he’s able to pitch more than 160 innings. While that amount of innings is doable for many starting pitchers, Penny is coming off of an injury ravaged season with Los Angeles.

In 2008, Penny had an ERA of 6.28 to go along with a 6-9 record. For the season, he pitched only 94.2 innings in 17 starts and two relief appearances.

However, it wasn’t that long ago that Penny was a very good pitcher. In 2006, he had a record of 16-9 with an ERA of 4.33. In 2007, Penny was even better — finishing with a 3.03 ERA and a record of 16-4.

If he can regain his top form, the 30-year-old right-hander could go down as one of the biggest steals of the baseball offseason.

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