Projecting Red Sox's new bullpen after multiple trade deadline acquisitions

Bullpen reinforcements weren't on Craig Breslow's original list of trade deadline priorities. After the Boston Red Sox's post-All-Star break slump, their chief baseball officer was forced to reevaluate his squad's needs.

Boston initially focused on bringing in a right-handed bat to go along with the acquisition of lefty starter James Paxton, but a bigger move than the one for former Blue Jays catcher Danny Jansen never materialized. The Sox brought in two veteran relievers who will be staples in their late-season staff.

Former Angel Luis García and former Red Lucas Sims are both righties with years of experience and ERAs trending in the right direction. Sims gave an emotional interview about departing his club of seven seasons, but both hurlers should fall quickly into lockstep with the rest of Boston's bullpen — García has even worked with Andrew Bailey before.

The Red Sox's bullpen is rather up in the air besides the team's two new additions. The team has shuttled players between the big leagues and Triple-A for most of the season. Greg Weissert was recently optioned to regain his command in the minors and Josh Winckowski has been in the majors for a few weeks.

Boston's pen has also been battling a few injuries lately. Chris Martin and Justin Slaten are both on the injured list with elbow inflammation, but neither of the injuries have been considered serious by the team. Martin is slated to throw a bullpen and could be sent on a rehab assignment at the end of the week. Slaten is still just playing catch, so the Sox may not see him back in action for quite some time.

The Red Sox also recenly recieved a positive update on Liam Hendriks, who hasn't pitched all season as he's been recovering from Tommy John surgery.

Projecting Red Sox's new bullpen after multiple trade deadline acquisitions

With that in mind, here's what we think the Red Sox's bullpen might look like for the rest of the season.

• Luis García - RHP
• Lucas Sims -RHP
• Kenley Jansen -RHP (C)
• Zack Kelly -RHP
• Brennan Bernardino -LHP
• Cooper Criswell -RHP
• Cam Booser -LHP
• Josh Winckowski - RHP
• Chris Martin* -RHP
• Justin Slaten* - RHP
• Liam Hendriks* - RHP
  

The starred players are currently injured but will earn their spots back in the 'pen if they return. Martin and Slaten have been some of the Red Sox's most reliable setup men, and barring any severe issues with their recovery, that likely won't change.

Sims was officially added to Boston's roster on July 31 and García surely isn't far behind. Kenley Jansen has been one of the Sox's most consistent players for weeks, and he survived the deadline despite the many trade rumors around him. He'll likely remain Boston's closer even after Hendriks' return.

If Hendriks, Martin and Slaten all make it back this year, Zack Kelly, Cam Booser, Cooper Criswell and Winckowski are the most likely hurlers to be optioned. Booser is one of the Sox's only lefties, but Brennan Bernardino has more experience and was one of their most reliable relievers in the first half despite his recent spiral.

Kelly was electric out of the bullpen a few weeks ago, but he's experienced a downward trend in recent games and has less experience than some of the Red Sox's other options. The decision between Winckowski and Criswell could be based on how they're both playing when the time comes, but Criswell's starting rotation experience may help him stick it out in the big leagues.

The Red Sox have a stash of quality bullpen depth as they charge toward the end of the season. Hopefully, their trade deadline additions fit in well and provide the boost the squad needs to stave off any more late-inning comebacks from opponents.

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