“We didn’t actually have a hearing because everybody has to answer to somebody, and my boss told me that this was the best thing for the ballclub.”
– Red Sox starter Josh Beckett explaining why he chose to forgo his appeal after being suspended for six games for throwing at Anaheim’s Bobby Abreu.
Not often will you get such a telling comment from a baseball player, even the brash Beckett, and you don’t have to be Dr. Phil to read between the lines and see the right-hander had to be persuaded to “plead guilty” and accept a reduction in his suspension to five games. The “boss” who convinced him probably wasn’t Terry Francona – my guess is the edict came directly from Red Sox GM Theo Epstein. Rightfully so because, whether Beckett liked it or not, this was the right thing to do.
By agreeing to begin his suspension on Sunday he won’t even miss a scheduled start; Boston’s off-day on Thursday allows he and Jon Lester to switch spots in the rotation and Beckett will now start against the Yankees on Saturday instead of Friday.
It’s the ideal time for Beckett to serve his suspension – thanks to this week’s schedule there is essentially no penalty for him or the team. Not only does he, more or less, stay on turn, he gets to face the Yankees at home and the Red Sox aren’t forced to use a spot starter. The only penalty is a fine levied by the Commissioners Office which is probably around $5000. As he’s making $10.5 Million this year, I’m not sure he will even notice it.
Quite frankly Boston managed the situation very nicely. MLB’s discipline system has improved in recent years but still has a major flaw when it comes to suspending starting pitchers. As the Red Sox have just illustrated – it’s easy to circumvent the current protocol when you’re able to use the schedule to your advantage.
The bottom line here: A five or even six-game suspension is not lengthy enough for a player who only performs every fifth day and can choose when to serve his sentence. Either MLB needs to speed up the appeal process or lengthen the suspension to a minimum of seven games for starting pitchers. Otherwise more “bosses” will be stepping in and determining when starters should do their time.