Will Carroll, Baseball Prospectus writer and author of "The Juice: The Real Story of Baseball's Drug Problems", recently published the Team Health Report (subscription required) for the Boston Red Sox. Will was generous enough to answer some of my questions following the release of the article.
Will Carroll: Besides the obvious depth in the now, the Sox have depth in the near. Papelbon, Lester, etc are close and this clears some space for them aside from getting a good young player in Pena. I think they dealt from strength. Your premise is valid, but at some point, you can have too many starters.
Carroll: He's still high yellow. The shoulder seems to have been a traumatic problem that will clear up without problem, but I keep thinking back to Austin Kearns. PECOTA loves Pedroia.
Carroll: Pena's never had problems but hasn't been severely tested either. I think he'll get plenty of play between Manny and Trot, plus the Sox have a year to figure out if Pena's the replacement for Trot. Great move.
Carroll: Synvisc has been very effective for a number of pitchers, including Randy Johnson. Foulke's responded well, but its very very early and those knees weren't his only problem. The Sox need him to be good for at least the first half, to help Hansen adjust.