Because Tomo Ohka has been a success since the Yokohama Baystars gave him to the Red Sox as a favor to International Scouting Director Ray Poitevint, Boston each year sends a young pitcher to Yokohama on loan. This year it was reliever Rafael Betancourt, who was 1-2, 4.08 for the Baystars. He won 17 games in the minors. Imagine him going with Darryl Kile and his curveball, Rick Ankiel with his power and yakker and Matt Morris ' power in the Cardinals' rotation in the near future. Not that anyone will ever again overlook Britt Reames .
Problem is, the reliever free-agent market is terribly thin.
But essentially, the market is Rheal Cormier , John Franco , Dan Plesac and Mark Guthrie , and Jeff Fassero and Terry Mulholland as swingmen. And you know Franco is going to stay with the Mets. Fassero threw better out of the pen the last month than he threw as a starter, so he is a sleeper. John Wetteland may be forced to retire because of back problems. So that leaves Rick Aguilera , who threw well this season, and middlemen like Turk Wendell , Jeff Nelson , Curtis Leskanic , Julian Tavarez , Hector Carrasco , Jose Mesa and Doug Henry .