Aug 12, 2014; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Boston Red Sox relief pitcher
Koji Uehara(19) pitches during the ninth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. The Red Sox defeated the Reds 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Frank Victores-USA TODAY Sports
Koji Uehara, RP
Of course, there’s still a pretty good chance that the Red Sox do wind up keeping Uehara. The 39 year old’s performance has only dropped slightly from his otherworldly 2013 season, as he has once again been one of the best closers in baseball. While his FIP of 2.41 suggests that he may have gotten a bit lucky this season, his ERA is still incredible at 1.27 and his K/BB of 10.0 is once again phenomenal.
If he was a few years younger, Uehara would likely be able to sign a longterm, expensive deal. However, at 39, he’ll likely just sign a one-year deal despite his elite performance over the past two seasons with the Red Sox. In fact, it’s pretty likely that Uehara would simply accept a qualifying offer if the Red Sox decide to go down that route. Uehara is a cheap option who has been incredibly successful in Boston and it’s relatively likely that he’ll be the Red Sox closer again come 2015.