Translation Required: Papelbon Closing?

Extra Bases has the transcript of a "lighthearted" exchange today between Sox brass regarding the 2007 closer role:

Tom Werner: "Well, we don’t have one today, but hopefully we’ll have one soon."

John Henry: "I thought we had one today."

Tom Werner: "Well, you said we did."

John Henry: "We do have one, I guess we just can’t tell you who that is. It hasn’t been announced? No closer has been announced? ... You can’t always believe what you hear."

Separately, in an interview with the Globe’s Gordon Edes that will air on NESN tomorrow night, Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein said that Jonathan Papelbon remained among the team's many options at closer.

With some deductive thinking we can conclude the following from these cryptic comments:

• The Sox may or may not have made an in-house decision regarding the closer role.

• If a resolution has been made, it is probably not one of the "unprovens" - Joel Pineiro, Craig Hansen, Manny Delcarmen, Devern Hansack etc.

• If Jonathan Papelbon is indeed "among the team's many options at closer," the team is convinced that his shoulder would be able to remain healthy as a reliever.
  

• Therefore: Papelbon may or may not return to the bullpen in 2007 or the Sox have may or may not have made a trade for a closer. Chad Cordero?
  

In other words, we don't know anything new regarding who the Sox closer will be in 2007, but it's always fun to speculate, right?

"Papelbon!" photo by Flickr user libdespot
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