Boston Red Sox Free Agent Grades: 2 solid bullpen arms added

The Boston Red Sox knew they were going to need bullpen help once the MLB lockout concluded. With that in mind, it was no surprise to see them aggressively attack the reliever market right out of the gate.

Boston was talking with any reliever that woud listen, and that included looking at some of the top names on the market, such as Kenley Jansen and Collin McHugh. While both are still available, neither guy wound up being part of the group of two relievers the Sox brought in during their first wave of post-lockout signings.

Those two relievers wound up being Matt Strahm and Jake Diekman. Both guys are left handed pitchers, which was an area of weakness in Boston’s bullpen last season. Aside from Josh Taylor and occassionally Darwinzon Hernandez, the Red Sox didn’t really have a consistent lefty presence out of their bullpen.

So far, Boston’s free agent signings have only consisted of pitchers, as these guys join Michael Wacha, James Paxton, and Rich Hill as the team’s five major league signings. Pitching, particularly the bullpen, was big need coming into the offseason (even before the lockout) and it’s nice to see the front office working to address it. So let’s take a look at both of the deals, and give them a final grade.