. Even if he starts out looking strong, he has to be treated as extremely volatile due to the loss in velocity and assorted other down-turns in peripherals.
Game to game volatility seems like a requirement for a role in the 2016 Red Sox bullpen.
I know his numbers, but have no feel for whether he'd be better than Hembree for getting one out in the 6th so that Barnes doesnt have to or so Ross can be saved for a LHH later. To the extent that Abad's ineffectiveness can be chalked up to "Oh so *this* is what high leverage *really* is" and not just "he actually sucks," at least Papelbon knows what he's walking into. As I said, I'm sure his conversation with Farrell was about his role. I'm not sure it would be much different in Chicago, other than they are a surer bet to make the playoffs right now.
There's a significantly larger social media contingent willing to get hot and bothered about him than when he left, but those are fires that are easy enough not to give oxygen to.
