Pineiro open to becoming a closer for Boston

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- The Boston Red Sox are the summer obsession of a legion of fans around the world. At the very least, all of New England hangs on their every victory and loss, rejoicing over the former and hyperanalyzing the latter.

They have amassed a roster that contains several superstars, including a potential new one from Japan named Daisuke Matsuzaka, and paid them all extravagantly. The team's projected payroll of $160 million puts them on the heels of the New York Yankees, the vanquishing of whom is the single-minded pursuit of Red Sox ownership.

So now, heading into this season, intent on returning to the playoffs after ignominiously falling to third place last year, the Red Sox may be prepared to entrust their precious ninth-inning leads to ... Joel Pineiro?

Joel Pineiro?

As bizarre as it may seem to Mariners fans, who have seen Pineiro struggle for most of the past three seasons, the Red Sox could very well end up with him as their closer.

Of course, they might not, because the Sox have numerous options and Plan B's to ponder before their season opener in Kansas City on April 2. But by many accounts, Boston's preferred result is for Pineiro to seize the job and run with it.

Which is fine by Pineiro, who sat in their spring clubhouse Sunday and talked about the strange turn his career has taken since the Mariners declined to offer him a contract in December.

He went from being discarded by Seattle to potentially being the most crucial -- and scrutinized -- player on a championship-caliber team loaded with glamour bats and quality starters but could see it all unravel if the late-inning puzzle isn't solved.

"I'm not thinking about that yet," Pineiro said of the pressure that could await him in Boston, a city that doesn't suffer fools or failed closers. "I know if I start thinking about that early it will be in my head."

This story began, in some ways, last September when Boston's rookie closer, Jonathan Papelbon, had his right shoulder pop out on Sept. 1 against Toronto, ending his season.

To that point, Papelbon had been insanely brilliant in the job, converting 23 of his first 24 save opportunities (35 of 41 overall) and finishing with a 0.92 earned-run average in 68 innings.

But in the wake of the injury, team doctors decided the best thing for Papelbon's shoulder would be to return him to starting, which he had done for his entire career until Keith Foulke's troubles forced the Red Sox to find a new closer last season.

Flash forward to December, when Pineiro learned the Mariners weren't going to offer him a 2007 contract, making him a free agent. The non-tender decision was not unexpected, considering Pineiro's $6.3 million salary in 2006 and his 21-35 record with a 5.60 ERA over the previous three years.

The Red Sox, however, were intrigued by what they saw from Pineiro late in the year after he was demoted into the bullpen: 20 strikeouts in 24 innings, a .213 opponents batting average, pitches that suddenly came alive. The Sox saw closer material.

"From our scouting evaluations, in short stints his velocity went back up to the mid-90s, and the action and life to his pitches increased in those short stints," Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell said. "I think the short stints, the aggressive mentality, fits well for him."

The official Red Sox stance is that the closing job is an open competition among Pineiro, Mike Timlin (soon to be 41, struggled in the second half last year), Brendan Donnelly (cut loose by the Angels) and Julian Tavarez (more effective as a starter than reliever in 2006).

There are dark-horse candidates lurking, such as Craig Hansen, their No. 1 pick in 2005 and the closer of the future, but probably not ready yet, and various other veteran relievers. Many around here firmly believe the ultimate replacement for Papelbon will be Papelbon himself, if no one emerges.

To Red Sox fans, it's frighteningly reminiscent of the ill-fated "bullpen by committee" experiment that nearly derailed their 2003 season before it was aborted.

"We've done this all before," observed Timlin. "I'm sure you all remember the committee. This will not be the sequel to the committee. There will be roles."

If Pineiro's role ends up as closer, he believes he's equipped for the job, even though he initially balked at the move. Now he concedes this was the best thing to happen to his career since the early 2000s, when he won 30 games in 2002-03 and was poised to become one of the game's brightest young pitchers.

That was before an elbow injury in 2004 from which he never seemed to fully recover. But when Pineiro got to the bullpen last year, Mariners pitching coach Rafael Chaves changed his arm angle, and Pineiro changed his mindset. The combination was rejuvenating.

"I have to give all the credit to Chavvy, lowering my arm angle," Pineiro said. "It looked like the ball had more life. It jumped out of my hand."

Pineiro also decided to stop babying his arm, with equally encouraging results.

"Going in the pen that last month, I was blowing it out every time I was out there," he said. "I got the confidence that, 'You know what? My arm is good.' "

Pineiro was so taken by relieving that he passed over offers for a starting job from the Cardinals, Nationals and Pirates, among others, to accept the Red Sox's late-inning overtures. He will earn $4 million, with a chance to make another $2 million based on games finished.

"I'm still not closing the door on starting," he said, "but for now, maybe I just needed to clear my head, clear my thoughts of everything as a starter. Go out there and blow it out. It's a fresh start.

"That's what Papelbon did. He was a starter in the minor leagues, and he came in and did a great job. I'm not saying I'm going to follow Papelbon, but I could do the right job."

Not much would be riding on it, if manager Terry Francona anoints Pineiro: perhaps just the fate of the 2007 Red Sox.

Larry Stone: 206-464-3146 or lstone@seattletimes.com.