Dice K

The Red Sox are being coy about their plans for the rotation going forward. John Smoltz has made 5 rehab starts and is stretched out reasonably enough so as to not be a huge burden on the Sox's bullpen. While it's possible they have Smoltz make one more rehab start at Pawtucket, sooner or later they are going to have to make a decision on the rotation and also the roster.

Lester and Beckett (other than yesterday) have been pitching well and it's probably too early to work in some sort of break for them. Wakefield certainly deserves to keep pitching as does Brad Penny. Though I think they could definitely move Penny closer to the deadline, I don't believe they'll do it right now. They need to play the cat and mouse game a bit longer. A tweaked groin, a blister or a strained oblique is what the Sox are looking for right now where the decision is made for them.

Assuming none of this takes place, this leaves Dice K as worthy of a few hundred words of discussion. First off, the fact that he was named MVP of the World Baseball Classic was a joke. I watched him pitch twice and he resembled the DiceK we've been seeing here. A lot of scrambling, middling velocity and high pitch counts. He was dominant at the WBC in '06, but not this time. I don't think he had his legs under him at any point this year.

Take a look at the guy. I see a puffy looking dude. He almost looks like one of those kids a year or so before puberty. Chubby face and features. He's such a legend back home in Japan. I just have to wonder about his conditioning. He looks 15 pounds heavier than last year. He probably slacked off during the offseason, accelerated his program for the WBC too quickly and simply does not have the foundation to build off of right now. He's already been on the DL for a "fatiqued" shoulder. His velocity has ticked up a bit since coming back, but is still less than what we are accustomed to. He still works slowly and looks almost lethargic out there.

Assuming nothing happens with a tweak or a pitcher isn't given a break or traded, the best move for the Sox would be to send Dice K to Florida for 2-3 weeks and get him back to basics. Conditioning, longtossing and plenty of shoulder work should be incorporated. It would be a shame to see the Sox trade Penny right now or invent an injury to Wakefield or something along those lines. Disabling DiceK would also save the likely roster spot of Daniel Bard or even Justin Masterson who still have options.