After the Sox announced the signing of JJ Putz to bolster their bullpen, my first thought was, "how long until Jenks is traded?" Putz made his name as a closer for the Mariners locking down 101 games over 5 seasons. At his prime he was an absolute monster, throwing in the mid to upper 90's on a regular occurance and racking up 76 saves over 2 seasons. Elbow problems ended his 08 season prematurely and Kenny was quick to swoop him off the free agent market.
It's no secret that Bobby is on borrowed time on the South Side. Ozzie has openly criticized him for being overweight, and Bobby has come out recently saying he feels he has been singled out because of his weight. The Sox are in dire need of a leadoff hitter/outfielder (PLEASE DO NOT SIGN JUAN PIERRE!) and an extra thumper (guy that can hit homeruns). They are also looking to cut payroll. Bobby Jenks is the Sox most tradable part and is owed a lot of money.
If Putz can stay healthy (he's supposed to have no throwing restrictions at the onset of Spring Training) and revert to his flame-throwing ways of a couple years ago, Sox fans may have seen Ozzie give the hand signals for calling in the burely right-hander to close out games for the last time.
Now, real world trades are much harder to predict than fantasy trades. But I wouldn't be the least bit surprised to see Bobby moved in Spring Training if Putz gets off to a torid start and shows he has come back from the elbow problems he had last season.
You can listen to me talk sports every Thursday night from 6-8pm Central on www.slaminternetradio.com and read some of my other work on www.bleacherreport.com.
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