I'm sure the Sox fans will have as much fun with Frankie as we've had the last several years (poor souls). As fun as it is to witness Liriano's (rare) glorious moments, I can't believe how many fans forget his countless, grotesque starts (his most recent for the Twins, a shining example).
Considering that our offense (which had a pathetic April) is currently 6th in the league in both hits and OBP, I'm guessing that this is one of the more potent units we've had in some time (if only we can improve on our "clutch"). It's understandable to be a bit optimistic about our chances in the near future for these reasons. In addition, our overtaxed bullpen (currently 3rd in innings pitched amongst all league bullpens) is cheap and decent. There is nothing worse than going all in on a bullpen guy (Fuentes, Capps).
It's far easier to focus exclusively on starting pitching in the offseason as opposed to trying to replenish lost position players that are both competent and cap-friendly (Morneau/Mauer aside), in addition to starting pitching. Writing off Liriano, Pavano, Capps, and Bakes gives us at least some wriggle room to sign 2 actual pitchers this offseason.
