It's A Whole New Bullpen!
Also assorted thoughts
After what appeared from the outside to be a whole lot of nothing, but was probably in fact less nothing than we thought (though still definitely some nothing), the Red Sox have done something! SomethingS, actually. That’s plural. That means more than one. Because the Red Sox are doing things, and those things aren’t, at least by outward appearances, bad.
Let’s get into it.
We should start by noting the Hot Stove has been scorching since the Winter Meetings began. Aaron Judge turned down $400 million from the Giants and Padres (!) to re-sign with the Yankees (darn) for just slightly less than the GDP of India, Wilson Contreras agreed to take a whole bunch of the Cardinals money, the Phillies gave billions to Trea Turner, and also millions to a bunch of 3/4 starters. Old Friend Matt Strahm liked the cut of their collective jib and joined Philadelphia on a two-year deal. The Giants signed Mitch Haniger while Cody Bellinger went to the Cubs, as did Jameson Taillon. Oh, I almost forgot (seriously): Jacob deGrom is a Texas Ranger now, and taking his old spot in the Mets’ rotation is Justin Verlander. So yeah. Lit!
Despite all this furious movement around them, the Red Sox off-season had been defined by absence. The old “Interest Kings” (copyright 2021, Jared Carrabis) label fit perfectly, as the Red Sox missed out on numerous players, reportedly finishing second in the running for starter Zach Eflin (who, for some reason I badly want to call Zach Elfin), starter Andrew Heaney, DH Jose Abreu, and reliever Tommy Kahnle. There may be more, but memory fails. And as we know, second only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.
In addition to all that, rumors swirling linking Xander Bogaerts to San Diego, the Dodgers, the Cubs, and even the Phillies before they dumped Mr. Burns money on Trea Turner’s doorstep. You’ll note the lack of “Red Sox” in that sentence. Even worse, there were substantiated rumors that Xander had cut the Red Sox off entirely, even if those rumors didn’t make much sense if you thought about them for even two seconds (why would Scott Boras, whose job it is to get the most money possible for his clients, publicly cut off one of the biggest market teams, to say nothing of the one that has repeatedly professed love and admiration for his client?).
Rafael Devers also continues to twist in the wind, a sort of ‘no news is bad news’ situation where it had been speculated he might be traded, because it worked so well the first time the Red Sox traded a star player for depth pieces instead of just paying him.
That’s all the bad news though, and you’ll notice it’s not actually news, more just a state of things. And as we all know, things change. In fact, as I write this, there appears to be momentum towards the Red Sox re-signing Xander Bogaerts. If that happens, I’ll certainly be back here in your in-box to discuss it. But first, let’s talk about the Red Sox off-season to date.
Their biggest move was to sign closer Kenley Jansen, recently of the Braves. Jansen got $32 million split evenly over two years. Boston also signed relievers Joely Rodriguez (one year, $2 million) and Chris Martin (two year, $17.5 million). That’s three relievers from outside the organization to bolster one of MLB’s worst bullpens, a douse of cold water while wandering in the desert. I continue to think Tanner Houck will also be fully bullpen bound once the rest of the roster gets set (this is in some contrast to what the Red Sox have stated so far), which gives us this pen:
Closer: Jansen
8th: John Schreiber, Martin
7th: Matt Barnes
6th/7th/multi-inning: Houck, Cutter Crawford
Everything else: Rodriguez, Ryan Braiser (?), Josh Taylor
That’s nine guys who probably aren’t disasters, nine guys who won’t cause the contents of your stomach to shoot through your nose merely by stepping on the mound. So that’s probably good!
And it’s even better if you get into the weeds on these guys. Rodriguez has a bit of a walk problem, but strikes guys out, limits hard contact well, and keeps the ball on the ground. Martin simply doesn’t walk guys. Like he’s never walked anyone ever.* He’s also excellent at striking hitters out. When they do make contact, it can be hard contact, but a lot of that contact is on the ground as well, limiting potential damage. Jansen strikes hitters out at an elite rate, despite declining fastball velocity. Walks can be an issue, and there are a lot of fly balls, but the overall results are still quite good.
*may not technically be accurate
The common thread here is that these are good pitchers who get good results who signed short deals, primarily (I’m guessing) because they’re old. Jansen will pitch next season at age 35 while Martin will pitch at age 37. (Rodriguez will be 31, so not old, but his results don’t match up with either Martin or Jansen.) Those advanced ages are likely why these guys didn’t require four or five year deals.
The end result isn’t likely to be the best bullpen in baseball, but it’s not difficult to see these three guys, and in particular Jansen and Martin, as big upgrades over whomever they’re replacing at the end of the Sox bullpen bench. And that’s badly what the Red Sox needed. Fewer innings from Austin Davis, Jeurys Familia, and Tyler Danish, and more from, frankly, much better pitchers.
This isn’t a Devers extension or a Xander signing. There is a lot more to do if this team is going to compete in maybe the toughest division in baseball. But these are steps forward. The Red Sox have recognized at least one of their weaknesses and are moving to strengthen it, despite the realities of a limited and expensive free agent market.
And that’s something. For now.