Red Sox: How does the bullpen look with the acquisition of Addison Reed?

The Specialists and Question Marks

So now we’re left with Fernando Abad and (assuming David Price returns to the rotation) Doug Fister.

Abad is currently the only lefty in the bullpen, so he defaults to your left-on-left option. I don’t think we’re going to see him used as the LOOGY much this year though. Maybe we’ll see it for a week or so, but I think Scott is going to be back in Boston. Abad has been good with those lefty-on-lefty matchups.

But Scott has been even better.

Scott going down was all about getting a fresh arm in Maddox and he’ll be back. Abad has been solid this season after coming over at the deadline in 2016. He’s posted a 2.16 ERA since he got a three inning save at Toronto on July 2nd. He’s the only lefty in the pen and has the ability to give you more than one inning.

And that leaves us with the question of Fister. When Price returns to the lineup, is there a spot for Fister?

Fister was playing for his job in his last appearance, going 7 2/3 innings against Cleveland while only giving up two earned runs. We know Dombrowski has a history with Fister, but can you really justify carrying a long reliever with a 6.27 ERA to fill in as your 6th starter?

A lot of this depends on the health of Brian Johnson in Pawtucket. He’s currently on the DL with a left shoulder issue. If he’s healthy and waiting in Triple-A, I can’t see the team carrying Fister much longer. Thanks for that one great start, but here’s your plane ticket. K, see ya, bye.

The last lingering question about the Red Sox bullpen is where does Carson Smith fit in this year? I know we’ve been hearing it over and over, but Smith was facing live batters at Fenway last week, and looks like he might finally be heading off on a rehab assignment.

Before his Tommy John surgery last year, Smith was one of the premier 8th inning guys in baseball. In 2015 with Seattle, he posted a 2.31 ERA in 70 innings, and was primarily an 8th or 9th inning weapon.

It’s silly to expect him to come back that dominant right away, but if he comes back anywhere close to his 2015 season he’ll be an excellent addition to an already pretty deep pen.

Next: Red Sox place Dustin Pedroia on 10-day disabled list

They say pitching wins championships. With the addition of Reed, this bullpen definitely looks like they can handle a deep postseason run.