The Red Sox did not call up right-hander Aaron Cook by 12:01pm ET tonight, thus activating the opt-out clause in his contract according to WEEI.com's Alex Speier. Cook has 24 hours to exercise the opt-out, then the team would have 48 hours to respond by calling him up or trading him.
Speier reports that the Red Sox will likely work out an agreement with the 33-year-old to keep him on the Major League roster, but there is no formal agreement in place at this time. Boston sent Lars Anderson to Triple-A after Tuesday's game, creating an open 25-man roster spot. The Red Sox would need to clear a 40-man roster for Cook, however.
The long-time Rockie has pitched to a 1.89 ERA with 13 strikeouts and 11 walks in 33 1/3 innings across five Triple-A starts. He signed a minor league deal with the Red Sox back in January. Manager Bobby Valentine had previous told reporters that if the team does add Cook to the roster, he will work out of the bullpen.
I assume he’ll be in the big leagues within two days. Or Ben Cherrington better be gone in two days.
I know this guy has pitched well in Triple-A and the Red Sox have their pitching woes, but it’s not like this guy is Roy Halladay. By two or three appearances Sox fans will want this guy gone…
Wait wait wait…. Aaron Cook isn’t as good as Roy Halladay? Why did I buy these Paw Sox season tickets?!
“There’s a sucker born every minute…”
The true suckers are the ones spending their cash at Fenway while I have front row seats to Roy Halladay 2.0 in Pawtucket.
Now you just killed it…
Well, I have to kill the horse first if I plan to beat it later.
That’s just humane. You’re crazy.
Why yes, that is quite HUMANE. Not inhumane, as some crazy people may think.
That’s exactly what I was saying. It’s crazy how humane you are.
Well, considering that they can just call him up within 48 hours after he exercises his opt-out, it seems like it would be the idea all along to just wait and see if he actually would exercise it.
1.89 era… with 11 walks.. in the minor leagues. Let him opt out and pitch horribly for some other team. I wouldn’t call him up.
If Aaron Cook gets nothing less than 10 shutouts, wins 20 games, and has an ERA under 2, consider me disappointed.
I hope the Mets pick him up. The team is reduced to rolling out Miguel Batista and Chris Schwinden as pitchers.
No schwing over Schwinden for you? I’m not sure Cook is much more exciting.
the intelligent idea would to atleast try him as the 4th/5th starter and move bard back in he pen where he should be. theres no thought process in that discombobulated organization/front office. if they really wanted to show any effort in winning and making a difference, they’d try that..boston does not care, as long as they see their game-wining, last second hits, runs..they dont care who pitches. who needs pitching? i guess the sox have plenty of it..shoot, where have i been? no, i can see them shipping cook out to another team, then picking up someone they really dont need. but who am i to say? im just the local idiot..
Do you have to try very hard to be so wrong?
At least he seems pretty secure in his identity
Cook has done everything he could possibly have done to earn a spot on the major league roster. Not keeping him would be both a disservice to us fans and an insult to him.
The red sox brass has been full of disservice these past few years, why stop now
we will all find out in 24 to 48 hours… if he stays or goes
He’s done so good in triple A, if the Red Sox don’t pick him up every team in need of starter help is gonna be all over him.
Well, now
Cherington would be a fool to let a solid arm go right now. He’s been on fire since spring training and his sinker looks as good as it ever has. Pitching is the one area the Red Sox are struggling right now and Cook is more than likely to be part of the solution.
I’m just amused that there’s been all this agita over Aaron freaking Cook. But then, it’s not like injury-prone league average back-of-the-rotation starters grow on trees or anything….
Oh wait… THEY DO.
Where is this tree you speak of?
-B. Cashman
heavy rumor that Will Middlebrook is getting the call-up by Wednesday too
Wow, how dumb they are that they have completely forgotten who he is. Have they also forgotten signing him to a minor league deal? I don’t even follow the Redsox, yet I can at least recall pitcher Aaron Cook. I remember him well, in fact. Remember? He used to pitch for the Rockies. Think, Redsox management! You are just not concentating enough. Maybe if you saw his picture or baseball card, it would jog your memory.