Boston Red Sox Rumors: 4 relievers team should pursue for bullpen help
Addison Reed
As mentioned earlier, the old friend would not be Kimbrel (even if that’s the simplest, most obvious answer). The answer is Addison Reed.
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In this scenario, Barnes and Brasier would continue to handle the duties of closer, while Reed would be inserted into middle relief. And he’s not a stranger to Boston, having pitched with the club in 2017.
In that season, he pitched in 29 games for the Red Sox, tossing 27 innings and posting a 3.33 ERA.
Prior to his arrival, Reed has been a dominant reliever for parts of three seasons with the New York Mets, never posting an ERA above three in his time there. He provided some adequate relief during his tenure with the Red Sox, though was hit hard in the ALDS that season.
Reed suffered through a rough patch in 2018 and was recently released by the Minnesota Twins a few weeks ago. He has been battling a left thumb sprain and hasn’t appeared in the majors in 2019.
Reed, plus the other three mentioned, are just a few options available to the Boston Red Sox. With Nathan Eovaldi hopefully back soon, other roster moves are entirely possible. And perhaps there is a hidden gem out there yet to be uncovered.
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Of course, the bullpen could recapture their consistency from the latter half of 2018 and all of this will be forgotten. One way or the other, something needs to get better if Boston is to climb out of their third-place rut.