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Abraham With Toucher & Rich: "Bullpen Is Not In Good Shape"

Major League Baseball opens the regular season today and the Red Sox are out in Detroit for their first game of the 2012 season.

We learned this week that closer Andrew Bailey will possibly miss three to four months due to thumb surgery he underwent Wednesday and that Alfredo Aceves will replace him.

Read: Ten Reasons Red Sox Can Win World Series In 2012

The Globe's Peter Abraham spoke with 98.5 The Sports Hub's Toucher & Rich about Aceves taking over the closer job, starting the season with 13 pitchers, and Bobby Valentine's weekly interview on New York radio.

Abraham thinks that naming Aceves the closer quickly was a good move, but overall the bullpen has plenty of issues.

"I think it was good that they designated someone right away because you don't want to have some kind of controversy as to who's the closer on the first day of the season."

"I think the bullpen is not in good shape. They had everything set up with Bailey as the closer, you line up the guys behind that. When you push everyone up into a more prominent role I think it obviously weakens the bullpen and they probably have some guys on the team right now they in a million years never anticipated being on the team."

The Sox announced their opening day roster, and some where surprised that they will carry 13 pitchers. What does Abraham think of this move?

"I think they're just uncomfortable with what they have in the bullpen and they want that extra guy to make sure they don't overuse Melancon and Albers and those kind of guys. So, they added the 13th guy just to give them that protection."

Read: Baseball Reporters: Valentine Appearing Weekly On NY Radio?!?

The guys also discussed pitcher Vicente Padilla and whether or not he could have been a viable option for the closer job.

"I guess it could work, he's got the stuff to make it work, but I don't know that they want to take that kind of chance right away."

Plus, Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine has agreed to a weekly radio interview on a New York station which has Sox fans scratching their heads. Is this good or bad for the new manager and was this move just for the money?

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