Upon winning the World Series in 2018, the Boston Red Sox bullpen has taken a hit. How much of this issue is self-imposed?
Immediately after winning their fourth World Series since 2004, the Boston Red Sox bullpen took a hit by losing two centerpieces, Joe Kelly and Craig Kimbrel.
Joe Kelly, who in 11.1 IP allowed just 1 ER this postseason, was quickly signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers a little over a month after defeating them in the World Series. Craig Kimbrel, on the other hand, has gauged very little interest from teams.
In fact, according to a report by Evan Drellich of NBC Sports, one executive is quoted as saying that the market for Kimbrel is “crazy low.
Now, that’s not to say the Boston Red Sox don’t want to bring Kimbrel back. They’d be crazy not to bring him back. Their problem is that they’re spending too much money, when compared to other organizations, and are being penalized for it via the luxury tax.
In 2018, two teams were hit with a luxury tax bill worth a just under $15M combined. The Red Sox had to pay just about 83% or just under $12M of the bill, while the San Francisco Giants owed the rest.
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To put that into context, $12M would pay for two years of Joe Kelly’s contract with the Dodgers. At the very least, it could have potentially offset the amount Craig Kimbrel would make by a few million dollars.
The luxury tax isn’t the only problem, however. In the next two seasons, the Boston Red Sox will have some difficult decisions to make as a slew of their core players are nearing free agency. As Ken Rosenthal of The Athlectic pointed out:
"Left-hander Chris Sale, righty Rick Porcello, shortstop Xander Bogaerts and designated hitter J.D. Martinez are eligible for free agency after the 2019 season (Martinez if he opts out). Outfielders Mookie Betts and Jackie Bradley are scheduled to hit the open market after ‘20."
So, the Red Sox are in a tough position and their options are limited. At this point, their are two things the Red Sox can do to try and save their bullpen.
- Move a player (JBJ was rumored to have been shopped) in order to make salary room for Craig Kimbrel, one of the most dominant closers of all time?
- Let Kimbrel walk and take your chances with a severely diminished bullpen?
It sounds like the Dave Dombrowski and the Boston Red Sox are leaning toward the latter.