BoSox Injection
Fansided

Red Sox greatest relief pitcher bargains in franchise history

By Cole Witaszek

BOSTON - MAY 1: Mike Timlin #50 of the Boston Red Sox delivers a pitch against the New York Yankees during their game at Fenway Park on May 1, 2006 in Boston, Massachusetts. The Red Sox defeated the Yankees 7-3. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
BOSTON - MAY 1: Mike Timlin #50 of the Boston Red Sox delivers a pitch against the New York Yankees during their game at Fenway Park on May 1, 2006 in Boston, Massachusetts. The Red Sox defeated the Yankees 7-3. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /
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LOS ANGELES, CA – OCTOBER 27: Members of the Boston Red Sox bullpen stand in the outfield prior to Game Four of the 2018 World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on October 27, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – OCTOBER 27: Members of the Boston Red Sox bullpen stand in the outfield prior to Game Four of the 2018 World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on October 27, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) /

Methodology:

I considered relievers the Red Sox acquired anytime between the 1999-2000 offseason and today. Because we are focused on the possibility of the Red Sox scoring big in the bargain bin, I only looked at relievers who could have reasonably been called under the radar or bargain bin acquisitions on the date they were acquired.

The next decision I had to make with this list was how to value these pitchers. I decided to only consider each pitcher’s value in the years under their initial contract with the Red Sox. That means if a pitcher re-signed with Boston after already establishing themselves as a success, the subsequent years were not taken into account on this list. I also decided to give more weight to short-term dominance than to long-term mediocrity since bargain bin relievers are generally signed to fill an immediate need and any pitcher signed this year would be no exception.

Finally, I decided to consider the context of their performance. In short, a reliever who was very good for Red Sox in 2004 was worth more than a dominant reliever was to the Red Sox in 2012. Now that we have our super scientific criteria, let’s start with number five.

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