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In the face of mounting injuries in their bullpen, the Boston Red Sox named setup man Junichi Tazawa as their new closer Tuesday. The decision was announced by Boston manager John Farrell during an appearance on MLB Network Radio, according to MLB.com’s Jason Mastrodonato. MLB Network Radio analyst Jim Duquette confirmed Tazawa’s new role via Twitter: Mgr John Farrell just told us he'd like to use Tazawa as closer and keep Koji in the 8th @mlbnetworkradio— Jim Duquette (@Jim_Duquette) May 7, 2013 The switch to Tazawa, who had served as a setup man so far this season, was necessitated by the team losing two closers to the disabled list during the past two days. Andrew Bailey, who leads Boston with five saves, was placed on the disabled list Monday with sore biceps. Joel Hanrahan, who is second on the team with four saves, prematurely left Monday’s game against the Minnesota Twins because ...

After watching him help the Angels sweep the Red Sox earlier this week, and based on his entire body of work this season, it's clear that Mike Trout is one of the most exciting young players in the majors. He may even be the American League MVP when all is said and done, but there is one thing I don't think the 21-year-old phenom should be: Rookie of the Year. Technically, Trout is a rookie. As the MLB rules state, “A player shall be considered a rookie unless, during a previous season or seasons, he has (a) exceeded 130 at-bats or 50 innings pitched in the Major Leagues; or (b) accumulated more than 45 days on the active roster of a Major League club or clubs during the period of 25-player limit (excluding time in the military service and time on the disabled list). Trout makes the cut...barely. He played ...

This weekend, the Oakland Athletics will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the organization’s 1972 World Series championship, as part of their three-game series hosting the Cleveland Indians. The highlight of the weekend will be the fan giveaway for Saturday’s matinee—a Rollie Fingers bobblehead doll, featuring his awesome signature handlebar moustache.Renowned for his famous facial hair, Fingers also happened to have a Hall-of-Fame career as one of the first premier relievers in baseball history and clearly the most successful in the redefined role of the modern closer. His excellence on the field not only revolutionized the role of the closer in modern baseball, but it also paved the way for a long line of great closers in Oakland Athletics team history.In honor of Fingers’ illustrious career and all the wonderful closers over the past 40 years of A’s baseball, let’s take a look at eight of the greatest closers in Oakland team history.Begin Slideshow

It is the most distressing news out of Boston Red Sox camp this spring. Andrew Bailey, brought in from Oakland to succeed Jonathan Papelbon as the team’s closer, may have to undergo thumb surgery that will keep him sidelined for months. To lose the 2009 American League Rookie of the Year and two-time All-Star before the season even begins is definitely a setback for the Red Sox. But it is not a death knell. The problems caused by Bailey’s potential surgery can be offset by simply moving Mark Melancon to the closer’s role until Bailey returns. No need to bring Daniel Bard back to the bullpen. No need to pine for Papelbon (too much anyway).Mark Melancon is the best option for the Red Sox at closer. Here's why.Begin Slideshow

Do not buy the Oakland Athletics 2012 team calendar for anything other than humorous reasons. As an avid fan, let me explain why. Recently, I was at a Barnes and Noble doing some last-minute holiday shopping, along with what seemed like everyone else in the Bay Area. The store was packed and the shelves barren. I found myself wandering into the calendar section, the only place that didn't look destroyed by Hurricane Procrastination. Scanning the available stock, I was sorely disappointed with myself—socks and calendars rival each other as the most thoughtless gift to give someone. But on Christmas Eve, anything becomes a possibility. Top shelf, at eye level, a green and gold one caught my attention. It was the A's team calendar for 2012, with four players gracing the cover: starting pitchers Brett Anderson and Trevor Cahill, closer Andrew Bailey and catcher Kurt Suzuki. At the time, half of those players had already been traded ...

Andrew Bailey is now with the Boston Red Sox and I couldn't be happier. Slowly, but surely, Ben Cherington is starting to win me over.  The circumstances weren't exactly on his side when be became general manager.  His hands have been tied by ownership, and he's had to clean up the hideous mess Theo Epstein left. Despite all of this, he's still managed to pull off some nice moves.  Initially, it made my blood boil to hear the Red Sox say they weren't planning to spend money, but I guess it's inevitable after Epstein wasted about $321.4 million of John Henry's money on horrible free agents. On principle, you hate to see Cherington suffer for Epstein's mistakes, but it is what it is.  Now, if you're wondering how I came to $321.4 million, here is my breakdown: 1. $15.5 million on Mike Cameron 2. $25.8 million on Matt Clement 3. $36 million on ...

On Wednesday, the Boston Red Sox rookie GM Ben Cherington pulled off a trade with the Oakland Athletics for All-Star closer Andrew Bailey, according to ESPN.  As part of the deal, the Red Sox traded OF Josh Reddick along with two other prospects to Oakland in exchange for Bailey and OF Ryan Sweeney.The trade—the first signature move for recent hire Cherington—was done in order to replace former Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon, who signed with the Phillies earlier in the offseason (via ESPN).The acquisition of Bailey is yet another stellar move by a Red Sox front office—though it has changed in personnel recently—is constantly willing to make high-profile moves that can really improve the club.The loss of Papelbon to the Philadelphia Phillies seemed to be an enormous loss for an already shaky Boston bullpen, but Bailey looks to be an upgrade at the position of closer over Papelbon.Here's why:First, Bailey is a much cheaper ...

If the Red Sox are going to get back to the playoffs and seriously compete for a World Series, they need to bring in a closer. Right now, there's no better one on the trade market than Andrew Bailey. Yesterday, Jim Bowden of ESPN tweeted that the A's and Red Sox were close on a deal that would send Bailey to Boston. Obviously, the Gio Gonzalez trade has already happened, so there's some foundation to that thought. The Red Sox now need to pull the trigger on a deal for Bailey and bring him across the country. The combination of injuries and playing in Oakland has significantly hurt Bailey's save numbers over the years. Still, in three seasons, he's locked down 75 games. That's an average of 25 saves a season, that can easily go up by 10 to 15 playing on a team that's in position to win more, like the Red ...

For lack of a better word, the Boston Red Sox's offseason has been quiet. Scratch that, it has been dead silent. For a team that was so aggressive in 2011, yet so disappointing in September, Red Sox Nation has been waiting for something big.The Mark Melancon trade was nice, and the Nick Punto signing adds depth, but those moves are tiny chisels in the rock. It is time Ben Cherington pulled out the jackhammer and went to town. The Boston Red Sox have been inquiring on starting pitchers, specifically Goo Gonzalez. They also looked into Oakland Athletics closer Andrew Bailey but balked at the asking price of top prospect Will Middlebrooks. As they should have. I do not think it is a secret that Kevin Youkilis is not the long-term solution at third base. Youkilis, or "Youk" as dubbed by fans, made the move to the hot corner in 2011 ...

With the release of the film Moneyball earlier this year, many fans have learned about the fascinating economics of the Oakland Athletics. Specifically, the viewpoints on what the A’s deem to be important—and unimportant—pieces of a baseball roster and the best way they can attain the highest return on their investments. The central theme, obviously, is how to stretch the very little amount of money they have and use those pennies to create the most competitive roster possible. Every year, the cash-starved Athletics use their food stamps to collect oft-injured free agents or to acquire aging veterans through trade. But under Billy Beane’s tenure as general manager, one specific area where the Athletics seem to be the most frugal is the role of closer. In Beane's 14 seasons with the Athletics, eight players have been designated as the true closer, with several others filling in as injury replacements along the ...