Pena clears waivers

Call me shocked, i just don't get this one. The Herald is reporting that Wily Mo Pena has successfully cleared waivers and is no free to be traded to any team. I'm not shocked he was put on waivers, almost all players do and the Sox want to get rid of Pena, but rather that he got threw without anyone making a claim. He is only owed about a half of a million for this year. After the season he will receive salary arbitration. That should turn out to be about two to three million. After that he is a free agent. Are GMs really not willing to take a 3.5 million dollar risk on Pena?

Pena has made a real fall from grace starting with the signing of J.D. Drew. Many people wanted him to replace Trot in right. That went out the window when they signed Drew and apparently so did Pena's skills. I really don't get what happened either. His ISOP, BB%, K%, BABIP, LD%, and GB% are all well in the range of his normal stats. Even though that is the case, he has seen his AVG, OBP, and SLUG significantly down. To his credit, his numbers on the road are pretty darn good, .313/.361/.612. It is odd though, generally right handed power hitters thrive in Fenway. Maybe Pena is the exception that proves the rule.

My last point is exactly why i am so shocked. If a man can post an OPS approaching 1.000 in about 75 plate appearance, why wouldn't you take a chance? He has shown flashes of brilliance and has a body of record to prove it. He is a 40 home run hitter in the making. How could the White Sox or the Nationals not put a claim in. Both teams are known to like him and both are going no where. Neither should be sweating the $ 3.5 million. Maybe they are they are just being really smart. With Kielty now in the minors, presumably to take Pena's spot, they know the Sox need to get rid of him. Maybe they are just waiting for them to DFA. Even still, they will still have to pay for him. If someone can explain this to me, I would love to hear it.