The Red Sox have an active interest in the reliever market
It has been an offseason of interest for the Boston Red Sox, which is making fans eager to see the team finally make a splash. It seems like the Red Sox have been interested in almost every available free agent but they have failed to get many deals done.
One of the more competitive markets has been for relief pitchers and it is only starting to heat up more and more as we inch closer to the 2021 season. The Sox added to their long list of players that they are interested in with right-handed reliever Jeremy Jeffress. Per. MLB Insider Mark Feinsand, Boston along with at least 10 other teams are interested in acquiring Jeffress.
The reliever market remains crowded with talent, but one pitcher on a lot of radars is Jeremy Jeffress; per sources, at least 10 teams have some level of interest in the right-hander including Blue Jays, Red Sox, Cubs, Astros, Dodgers, Mets, Phillies and Nationals.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) January 18, 2021
The 2018 All-Star who posted a 1.29 ERA with the Milwaukee Brewers has basically been Mr. Consistent throughout his extended career. Jeffress has appeared in 414 total games with a 32-12 record, 3.08 ERA, and has tallied up 387 saves. It is not surprising that there is a crowded market for Jeffress as he would be an upgrade to almost every team’s bullpen.
The 33-year-old is showing that age has not slowed him down and still has plenty left in the tank. In a shortened 2020 season he appeared in 22 games with the Chicago Cubs, posting a 4-1 record to go along with a terrific 1.54 ERA and 8 saves.
The Red Sox have failed to have a dominant presence in the back-end of the bullpen since cutting ties with Craig Kimbrel in 2019. They already have added a versatile reliever in Matt Andriese and now it is time to get a legit guy to keep the team in games late in the 8th and 9th innings. The pitching staff and particularly the bullpen is a problem that Chaim Bloom wants to fix and signing Jeffress would be a great start.
Alex Colome, Brad Hand, and Joakim Soria are also additional relievers that Boston has had their eyes on and it would be wise to sign at least two of these players to beef up their bullpen. Especially with question marks lingering regarding the starting rotation.
The last two seasons they have had bottom tier bullpens which have caused them to blow leads more often than we would like. Signing Jeffress is a move that the Red Sox absolutely should consider doing because he is a great veteran presence and is a low-risk addition. You know what you are going to get from him as he has been a reliable righty who still has above-average velocity. Jeffress would immediately fill a vacancy as the Boston’s closer and could be extremely valuable to the team’s success.