Boston Red Sox need to improve their bullpen

The Boston Red Sox are likely losing two of their best relievers in 2019, and to stay competitive in a top heavy AL they’ll need to address problems with their bullpen sooner rather than later.

After a 108 win season and a World Series victory it makes sense that the Boston Red Sox would want to keep the band together, and for the most part they’re doing exactly that. With the recent re-signings of playoff heroes Nathan Eovaldi and Steve Pearce the team has retained almost all the core players from last years championship squad, and things are looking all good in Boston.

Well, for the most part.

The Red Sox haven’t moved to keep all the players that got them to the post season; one key player from last year who remains unsigned is all-star closer Craig Kimbrel. And, from what Red Sox President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski has to say it sounds like Kimbrel returning to Boston is pretty unlikely:

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Also remaining unsigned is right handed reliever Joe Kelly, who had an average regular season but dazzled in the playoffs. It’s rumored that the Red Sox want to re-sign Kelly (his Red Sox teammates are lobbying for it), but as things stand today we don’t know if he’ll be on the 2019 roster.

The absence of Kimbrel and Kelly drastically changes the make up of the Boston bullpen. Last year the duo combined for 128 innings pitched, and Kimbrel converted 42 save opportunities in 47 chances.

They also were often called upon in high leverage situations. Kimbrel had the highest average game entering leverage index on the team with a gmLI of 1.87 (for this stat 1.00 is the baseline, with anything above being high pressure and anything below being low), and Kelly is in third on the team with a gmLI of 1.28. Only Matt Barnes, who is returning, sits between the two at 1.29. If less seasoned pitchers like Eduardo Nuñez or Brian Johnson are called upon to pitch more when the games on the line it’s unclear how well they’ll perform.

This isn’t to say that the remaining Red Sox relievers are total scrubs. Barnes is strong, Ryan Brasier was a major surprise last year after his return from playing Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. With that said Brasier is not by any means a sure thing, and the bullpen as a whole is lacking as far as proven veterans.

Luckily for the Red Sox there are some pretty strong relievers available in free agency this year. Adam Ottavino is coming off of a strong season with the Rockies, and has one of the nastiest sliders in the game. He’s also a great baseball mind, creating his own pitching science lab and developing insights that would be helpful to any staff.

Jeurys Familia is another good option if the Red Sox are looking for someone with more experience in the traditional starter role to replace Kimbrel. Familia is only 29, making him one of the youngest relievers on the market, and he’s capable of throwing his fastball at 99+ MPH.

If the Red Sox aren’t satisfied with the free agent pitching options available they have more than enough depth to trade for proven relievers that are already on MLB rosters. Super utility player Brock Holt could be an attractive trade piece, and Rafael Devers might generate interest from rebuilding franchises looking for young players.

One reason that it is so important for the Boston Red Sox to strengthen their bullpen is that their strongest AL competition, the Yankees and Astros, have amazing bullpens, with bullpen ERAs of 3.03 and 3.38 respectively. If the Red Sox don’t upgrade their pen to compete with them then they risk losing important games in the late innings. which will be a problem during the season and an even bigger problem in the playoffs.