Red Sox release Mark Prior

The Red Sox have released pitcher Mark Prior. The move creates roster space for the newly-acquired relief pitcher Pedro Beato.

Prior signed a minor league deal with Boston in May as he looked to turn his career around, yet again. While in Triple-A this season, he has posted a 3.96 ERA with 13.7 K/9 and 8.3 BB/9 in 25 innings of work. Prior is a former first round pick by the Cubs, and was very successful in the early stages of his career. He hasn't seen time in the Majors since 2006 due to several shoulder problems.

Analysis: Man, I feel bad for Mark Prior. The guy used to be one of the best pitchers in baseball, and BAM!, his career just went down the toilet. Here I looked at his Triple-A stats and thought, Hey, 13.7 K/9 that's really good. But then I saw the 8.3 walks per nine innings, which is horrific. Anyway, I expect that Prior will get a minor league deal from a club out there, assuming he still wants to play. I also wouldn't be surprised if he called it quits.