Boston Red Sox: 3 positions of need heading into the offseason
Boston Red Sox position of need No. 1: Bullpen/closer
Boston’s bullpen was surprisingly resilient for most of the season. Even after Matt Barnes did his best vanishing act during the second half of the season, manager Alex Cora found a way to piece things together on a consistent basis. Considering the overall state of the bullpen by the season’s end, it’s quite impressive the Sox made it all the way to the ALCS.
The biggest issue with the bullpen is the closer position, or a lack thereof. Barnes was fantastic to open the season, and even earned himself his first ever All Star appearance. But it’s clear after his second half collapse he cannot be given the closer role to start next season. He’s just too inconsistent, and with an entire offseason to fix the issue now, it needs to be dealt with.
The problem is the closer market isn’t exactly filled with candidates this offseason. Kenley Jansen and Craig Kimbrel are the two best options that could hit the market, which isn’t necessarily enticing. Both have shown signs of inconsistency recently, and are probably going to get more money than they are worth.
Internally, there aren’t a ton of options either. Hansel Robles has experience closing games, but he’s not nearly consistent enough to make the role his own. Adam Ottavino is a free agent, and even if he’s brought back, he functions better as a setup man than a closer.
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Elsewhere, it feels like the bullpen could probably use another lefty arm to help out. Josh Taylor turned himself into a weapon this season, but guys like Darwinzon Hernandez and Austin Davis weren’t good enough throughout the course of the season. The bullpen did it’s job this season, but with an offseason to revamp, it’s time to shore up the bullpen and add some legit arms that will help win a championship.