Red Sox must make a decision regarding Brandon Workman’s future
Is Brandon Workman in the plans for the Red Sox?
The clock is ticking and Chaim Bloom needs to make a decision and make it soon. By tomorrow afternoon the Red Sox must figure out if reliever Brandon Workman fits into their plans for the future. Yesterday afternoon the right-hander activated the opt-out clause in his contract and now the ball is back in Boston’s court. With the clock ticking on a Thursday afternoon deadline, the organization has to either promote the reliever or set him free.
This is a bit of an interesting situation as anyone that is familiar with Workman and the current state of the Red Sox bullpen will tell you he absolutely should have a spot. I’m one of those that didn’t even think twice when he was re-signed a month ago that he’d be back with the big club in no time. Well, the time has gone by and Bloom has yet to make the call to bring him back to the 40-man roster and every 26-man lineup. Now his back is against the wall.
Workman has had mixed results as of late, especially after his breakout 2019 campaign. He would become the key piece in the trade that would bring Nick Pivetta and Connor Seabold to Boston. Since that trade, the Yakman has seen a late winter signing in free agency and a release all before the All-Star break.
However, since returning to the organization and working down in Worcester he’s been strong with a 1.79 ERA, 1.000 WHIP, and 1 save in 7.0 innings with a 12.9 K/9 and a 5.1 BB/9. Those numbers are flirting with his career year back in 2019 and show that he may have found himself again.
I don’t quite know what they’re going to do as the sand continues to fall through the hourglass but It’s hard to not want to see him in the bullpen every night. Just think of some of the poor performances we’ve seen from some of the relievers lately and how does Workman not make that situation instantly better? I’m looking at you, Colten Brewer. While the Sox have been a bit coy on the righty, things may be leaning toward a return to Fenway Park.
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Joe McDonald of the Worcester Times & Gazette reported that Workman was throwing a bullpen session In Worcester this afternoon but didn’t have time to speak to the media after. This may not seem like a big thing to many but considering he activated his opt-out yesterday and is throwing for the team today, we may know where Bloom is heading next. Since the Red Sox have to either release or promote him it doesn’t really benefit him to toss today as it isn’t an open workout for other teams. So this very well may be Boston trying to get one more glimpse at him before they make their final decision.
With Brewer blowing up in spectacular fashion the other day I think we have our path to Workman getting back to the main roster. Jettison Brewer to the shadow realm and promote the curveball specialist and this bullpen is better right out of the gate. I really think this is the route that Bloom and the Red Sox will and should follow, we know how Chaim feels about this team. While some people should be untouchable, nobody is safe if it’s in the best interest of the organization. If he truly feels he can’t get anything else out of Workman I wouldn’t be surprised to see him cut him without a thought.
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At the end of the day, a decision needs to be made by tomorrow and with this team lately, it’s hard to know which way they’re leaning. In my eyes, this is the perfect situation to let Workman redeem himself with Boston and get back to what he does best. He more than proved in 2019 that he can be a reliable arm in relief and with the Cora still trying to cement that bullpen, he’d be a strong arm for him. The Yankees are coming up on the schedule for the first time in 2021 and AC will need every weapon in his arsenal ready to go for the Bronx Bombers in a series that can shake up the AL East.