Red Sox Rumors: Boston “surveying” market for bullpen help
The Boston Red Sox are reportedly surveying the market for bullpen options that may be available before the MLB trade deadline.
You may have noticed that the Boston Red Sox need some help in the bullpen. The front office can regurgitate the same lines about how they believe in the players on this roster but behind the scenes, they see the problem.
Despite the optimistic endorsement they show to the public, rumor has it that the Red Sox intend to upgrade their bullpen before the trade deadline. MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reports that Boston is “surveying the market” for relief pitching.
The Red Sox bullpen is right in the middle of the pack, ranking 15th in the majors with a 4.37 ERA. That’s not going to cut it for a contender and the problem escalated to crisis mode during a brutal month of June in which Red Sox relievers compiled a 4.92 ERA.
That includes the London series in which Boston’s bullpen surrendered a staggering 21 runs over two games against the New York Yankees. The bullpen issues were evident before the trip across the pond but this series exposed how crippling this weakness is to Boston’s playoff aspirations.
A major league-leading 17 blown saves highlight the need for a reliable closer. Just because the need is obvious doesn’t mean the solution is though.
Dave Dombrowski is feeling plenty of heat from a frustrated fan base for assembling this insufficient collection of relievers but ownership’s insistence on reducing their luxury tax bill has tied his hands to some extent. The mandate to limit spending is fair, no matter how much fans don’t want to hear that. The Red Sox are carrying MLB’s highest payroll for the second consecutive year so it would be ignorant to complain they are being “cheap.”
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We also saw last month that the team’s top draft pick was knocked out of the first round due to enduring the steepest tax penalties so it’s not all about the money. If you demand that ownership shell out unlimited funds to improve the current roster, don’t complain when the farm system lacks future talent and trade chips.
A tight budget will limit Dombrowski’s options as he scans the trade market but there will be options that can help this team. Detroit’s Shane Greene, San Fransicso’s Will Smith, and Chicago’s Alex Colome are examples of affordable options who might be made available before the deadline.
That doesn’t necessarily mean they are available right now and they certainly weren’t weeks ago when the demand for a new reliever was being shouted from every rooftop in Boston. Each of those teams is expected to be sellers who should at least listen to offers for their closer but what incentive do they have to rush into a deal? Waiting until closer to the July 31 deadline when the playoff race becomes clearer and contenders get more desperate to load up for a postseason push enables those sellers to get more value in return for their coveted bullpen pieces.
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Pointing out that the Red Sox need a high-leverage reliever is easy. Identifying a team that has an asset you want that they are willing to part with immediately is an entirely different story. It takes two to tango. You can’t make a trade if the sellers haven’t taken a seat at the table yet. Boston is going to make every effort to upgrade the bullpen while staying within their budget but it’s going to take patience.