Report: Red Sox nearing deal with RHP Penny

Dec 28, 2008 - 10:22 PM LOS ANGELES (Ticker) -- The Boston Red Sox are close to signing former All-Star pitcher Brad Penny, according to a report Sunday on FoxSports.com.

According to the report, Penny and the team are "still working out the language of the contract." Should the two sides work everything out, the signing could potentially bolster a rotation that faltered during last season's American League Championship Series.

Penny was cut loose by the Los Angeles Dodgers in November following an injury-plagued 2008 campaign, but previously had been the team's ace. Between 2006 and 2007, he went 32-13 with a 3.65 ERA and a pair of All-Star Game appearances - including a start in the 2006 contest.

However, he was sidelined off and on with right shoulder trouble this year as his ERA ballooned to a career-worst 6.27 in 19 appearances, including 17 starts. The club declined his option following the season.

The burly 30-year-old will join a Red Sox team that is looking to solidify the back end of its rotation. Boston's pitching staff is carried by fellow righthanders Josh Beckett and Daisuke Matusaka as well as budding ace lefthander Jon Lester, but all three had their struggles during the team's 4-3 loss to the Rays in the ALCS.

Forty-two-year-old knuckleballer Tim Wakefield will be returning for his 17th season and the team still has young prospects Justin Masterson and Clay Buchholz waiting in the wings, but Penny could provide some stability should he approach his previous form.

For his career, Penny has compiled a 94-75 record with a 4.06 ERA over nine seasons with the Dodgers and Florida Marlins, with whom he began his career in 2000.

Having spent his entire career in the National League, Penny has struggled in interleague play, going 7-11 with a 5.08 ERA in 24 appearances against AL opponents.