3) Former Red Sox pitcher Matt Strahm has proven they should’ve kept him
Out of desperation, the Philadelphia Phillies turned to Matt Strahm to actually start a few games for them this year. Imagine if the Red Sox had this weapon on their roster early.
More importantly, Strahm would have given them an upgrade in the bullpen as the main lefty reliever. Richard Bleier and Joely Rodriguez were underwhelming options. The former has been horrific. The latter has been hurt for most of the year.
Strahm is back in the Phillies bullpen where he belongs. After 33 innings with a half-dozen starts included within, Strahm is 4-3 with a 2.73 ERA.
It’s easy to say Strahm is outperforming expectations in Philadelphia this season. He never should have started games for them in the first place.
The Red Sox, apparently, didn’t see enough out of him in 2022 to keep him on the roster. In their defense, a 3.83 ERA isn’t irreplaceable. However, the other pitchers they have on the roster and within the organization look like they aren’t delivering what Strahm has for his new ball club.
The bullpen has become an increasingly bigger problem for the Red Sox with a few guys still getting the job done. Insert a lefty like Strahm in there over Bleier and we’d feel much better in those late innings.