But who will catch Wakefield?
With Tim Wakefield’s return looming on the horizon, what will become of the Sox’s catching situation? George Kottaras has done an admirable job of catching that fluttering ball that comes out of Wake’s hand. When Kottaras and Wakefield both come off the DL, what will happen to Kotteras? Who will catch Wake? Will the Sox carry 3 catchers? Victor Martinez can play 1B, but he’s also been working with Wake catching his bullpen sessions. Martinez has never caught a knuckleball before.
“I thought it was O.K.,” said Martinez, who wore a bigger catcher’s mitt during the session. “I dropped some balls, obviously, but we’ll see. I’ll get another bullpen session to try it again. I’m going to do my best and see what happens.”
If Martinez can figure out that screwy pitch, it will not bode well for Kottaras. The Sox sorely need Wake back in the rotation. Let’s hope that V-Mart can handle that pitch. If he succeeds, then Tito will have the luxury of shuffling him to 1B, Youk to 3B, and giving Mike Lowell another day off, before returning to the dish and giving ‘Tek a break.
Now I know some will be calling for Wake to retire, but if he can stay healthy, he’s a steal at $4M/year. Given his longevity, he could be asking for a lot more, but this just gives the Sox the luxury of being able to spend that $$$ on others, knowing full well what they can expect from Wake each year: 10-15 wins, 150+ innings.
