In an article by Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports, he wonders how long the Boston Red Sox must keep 45-year-old Tim Wakefield around before they decide he’s doing more harm than good.

The longest tenured member of the Sox has been around since 1995, so there’s sentimental value in keeping him around. Additionally, he’s 13 wins short of tying Cy Young and Roger Clemens for the most wins in a Boston uniform, 192. However, by keeping him on the roster for the sake of keeping him around is keeping one of the younger pitchers from making the team and is limiting the team on in-game situations where a fireballer may be more effective than a knuckleballer.

Wakefield will open this season as a long reliever if he makes the team in addition to the spot start here and there. Rosenthal says that by keeping Wakefield on the roster prevents the team from having younger pitchers such as Scott Atchison or Matt Albers in the bullpen.

When camp breaks, it’s likely that Wakefield will make the trip up north, so the question will turn to – how long? If he struggles early, will the Red Sox force him into early retirement or just release him? The knuckleballer has said that he wants to pitch in 2012 and beyond, so while his time in Boston may be coming to an end, the Wakefield show may not be done yet.