Fear and loathing of the Red Sox bullpen

Aug 28, 2015; New York City, NY, USA; Boston Red Sox relief pitcher

(41) looks toward home during the seventh inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

Take a long look types

If this was 2011, then Alexi Ogando (3-1, 3.99) would cost a premium price, but it is 2015 and injuries and performance issues made Ogando expendable in Texas. Ogando led the Red Sox with 65.1 bullpen innings and can still bring some heat with a 94.4 fastball. You compare Ogando to his great 2011 season and that FB was at 95, his 2011 metrics are very similar to 2015, So there is still some positive value.

Tommy Layne (2-1, 3.97) was a free agent signing who was brought in to bolster up the bullpen from the left side. Layne’s biggest issue is 5.1 – that is his BB/9 rate and when you walk too many managerial confidence dwindles. Layne was certainly not a reincarnation of Miller, but provided some serviceable time out of the ‘pen with 47.2 innings and a H/9 of 7.7. Lefties hit only .148 off Layne, but righties picked up the slack at .322.

At 26-years-old the time line for Heath Hembree (2-2, 3.55) is running short. Very similar to Barnes, Hembree tosses his heater about 70% of the time and brings it in the mid-90s. Barnes and Hembree may be in the Thunderdome contest – two men enter and one man leaves.

Jean Machi (1-0, 5.09 in Boston) is a 33-year-old vet right-hander who was dumped by San Francisco and picked off the waiver wire by the Red Sox. Nothing impressive by Machi who did have four saves. One interesting point is Machi allowed only two runs in his last 9.2 innings.

Steven Wright (5-4, 4.09) in 16 games (nine starts) and Rich Hill (2-1, 1.55) in four starts and in the mix for both the rotation and the bullpen.