Boston Red Sox Closer Situation: What They Should NOT Do

Given the way the 2011 season ended, the immediate loss of Jonathan Papelbon may put increased pressure on Ben Cherington and the rest of the Boston Red Sox brain trust to move quickly to fill the closer void.

That is an impulse they should resist.

There's a buyer's market for closers this year, and the Papelbon signing does little to change that. Yes, there's now one fewer closers on the market, but just as importantly, there's one less buyer in the market as well. Philadelphia would have been a strong competitor for any remaining closer, but they are now out of the picture.

And, the fact that the Rangers just signed Joe Nathan (two years, $14.5 million) takes another buyer off the market.

The longer the Red Sox wait, the clearer the picture will be. Sure, they may lose out on another option or two, but I'll wager that any teams who sign free-agent closers in the next few weeks will overpay by acting in haste.

Furthermore, the better closer options may be the ones that could be acquired through trades, rather than free agency. Huston Street (Rockies), Andrew Bailey (Oakland) and others have been actively floated as trade bait.

This may sound like heresy, but it's not necessary to have the closer situation fully resolved this winter.

Look back at 2006; the Red Sox actually started the season before they settled on Papelbon as the closer.

According to Tim Britton of the Providence Journal, Sox GM Cherington asked those interviewing for the vacant manager position if they thought it important to have the closer slot decided before going into spring training.

Cherington said. “I do feel it’s important to have a defined closer on Opening Day. I don’t think it’s critical to have a defined closer in spring training, but probably preferable. . . . There’s different ways to do that, but there are available options out there.”

Bottom line: WAIT.

Have patience. Don't rush into anything.