Red Sox trade deadline bullpen upgrades proving valuable down the stretch

The Red Sox found quality relievers at the trade deadline after all

When the Boston Red Sox emerged from the trade deadline at the end of July, Chaim Bloom felt the wrath of a frustrated fan base that insisted he didn’t do enough to upgrade a thin bullpen. Surely the chief baseball officer didn’t view his team as a true contender if he was content to settle for these castoffs.

As we head into the final stretch of the regular season, Boston finds themselves in sole possession of the top Wild Card spot while Austin Davis and Hansel Robles have transformed into key contributors in the bullpen.

Both relievers arrived at the deadline with ERAs hovering around 5.00 and shaky track records. Neither made a great first impression either. Davis allowed four earned runs in his first five appearances with the Red Sox, while Robles was tagged for five runs in four appearances. They each took a loss when they were shelled in late-August appearances.

Patience was wearing thin in Red Sox Nation as the narrative escalated that these “upgrades” simply weren’t good enough. It took time for the new arrivals to settle into their roles but both relievers are showing why Bloom was enticed by their abilities with strong Septembers.

The Red Sox found a lights-out lefty

Davis hasn’t allowed a run through 3 2/3 innings spread over six appearances this month. He’s allowed only three hits and two walks while striking out three. This isn’t a case of putting up results in mop-up duty either, as Davis has appeared in three games this month that were ultimately decided by one run and he’s been credited with a pair of holds.

The key to unlocking Davis has been figuring out the opportune spots to utilize him in. The lefty has been abused by right-handed hitters this year but he’s been lights-out against left-handed hitters, holding them to a .130 average and .515 OPS.

MLB’s “three batter” rule has eliminated the lefty specialist role but the Red Sox can still be creative to put Davis in a position to succeed. Relievers aren’t required to face three batters if they make it to the end of the inning, which is why Davis hasn’t faced more than a batter or two in most of his recent appearances and hasn’t pitched a full inning in nearly a month.

Tuesday night against the Mets, Ryan Brasier bailed starter Eduardo Rodriguez out of a jam by retiring the final two batters of the fifth inning. Brasier was sent back out to begin the sixth to face a right-handed hitter. Manager Alex Cora then handed the ball to Davis for the next three batters, which included left-handers Michael Conforto and Dominic Smith. The lefty gave up a two-out single to the right-handed Kevin Pillar before retiring Smith to finish the inning unscathed.

Boston needs to be careful about when they use him but Big Fudge gives Cora another option to shut down left-handed threats alongside Josh Taylor and Darwinzon Hernandez.

Reshaping the Red Sox bullpen

First impressions are important but they aren’t everything. These two trade deadline acquisitions were nearly run out of town before they were given much of a chance. They have since redeemed themselves by logging quality innings in the thick of a playoff race.

The Red Sox started to reshape their bullpen at the deadline but they didn’t stop there. Struggling starter Garrett Richards was moved to the bullpen in August and he’s thriving in his new role. Richards has allowed only three earned runs in 22 innings for a sparkling 1.23 ERA while racking up 25 strikeouts.

The Red Sox have trusted Richards late in games and he’s even notched three saves. This has proven vital since All-Star closer Matt Barnes began to unravel before testing positive for COVID-19. The Red Sox are now using a committee approach to close games with Richards firmly in the mix.

Boston recently moved to a four-man rotation, allowing Tanner Houck to join the bullpen. The rookie couldn’t reliably make it through five innings as a starter but he can provide tremendous value as a multi-inning reliever where he only needs to go through the opposing order once.

The Red Sox bullpen was ravaged by injuries and COVID-19 but they have most of their arms back now. A healthier crop of relievers combined with their new additions has led to Boston’s bullpen ranking fifth in the American League with a collective 3.36 ERA in September.

The Red Sox identified bullpen arms as a mid-season need and they weren’t willing to pay a premium for the high-profile targets or a rental. They ended up with a right-hander and a lefty who are paying dividends for this team down the stretch.