Red Sox Bullpen Preview 2017: Can New-Look Relief Unit Find Consistency?

Editor’s note: The Red Sox will hold their first full-squad spring training workout Friday. NESN.com will analyze Boston’s roster in five installments (outfield, infield, catchers, bullpen, starting rotation) in the days leading up to that workout.

Between the offseason acquisition of Chris Sale and the high expectations of a talented offense, it’s easy for the Boston Red Sox’s bullpen to get lost in the shuffle.

But as last year’s Major League Baseball postseason proved, bullpens can be the difference between success and failure.

The Red Sox’s relief unit had an up-and-down year in 2016, starting off on a rough note before finishing the regular season strong. But things will look different in 2017 — offseason pickup Tyler Thornburg is in, beloved ex-closer Koji Uehara and several others are out and the injured Carson Smith could return by midseason.

So, what do you need to know about Boston’s revamped bullpen? Glad you asked.

The Closer: Craig Kimbrel
Kimbrel had a bit of a strange debut season with the Sox. He pitched well enough in the first half to make the American League All-Star team, but he missed nearly a month with a knee injury and struggled with control, posting a 2.77 strikeout-to-walk ratio — his lowest since his rookie year — and a career-high 3.40 ERA.

That said, Kimbrel has firm control on the Red Sox’s closer job. With an offseason to get fully healthy and a year of experience in the offense-driven AL East under his belt, the 28-year-old will be expected to return to elite form in 2017.

The Setup Men: Tyler Thornburg, Joe Kelly, Matt Barnes
The eighth inning could get interesting at Fenway Park. There’s a reason the team acquired Thornburg; the hard-throwing right-hander posted a 2.15 ERA as the Milwaukee Brewers’ setup man last season and has the inside track on the same role in Boston.

But Kelly came on strong at the end of last season, making his own case as a late-inning reliever by allowing just one earned run in the month of September before a dominant handful of appearances in the playoffs. We’ve seen flashes of promise from Kelly before, though, and the 28-year-old still has questions about his inconsistency to disprove.

Barnes, another hard thrower, also could figure into manager John Farrell’s plans from the seventh inning on, but with Thornburg now in the mix, it might be in a more situational role.

The Middle Relievers: Heath Hembree, Fernando Abad, Robbie Ross, Jr., Robby Scott
The Red Sox have no shortage of arms to stretch out games, but whether they can be effective is another story. Abad returns after a brutal debut half-season in 2016, and he faces an uphill battle to regain Boston’s trust as a left-handed specialist. Ross proved more effective in that regard last season, holding left-handed batters to a .188 batting average and .545 OPS.

Hembree is a solid option against right-handed batters, limiting them to a .201 batting average and .591 OPS last season. Scott was a September call-up from Triple-A Pawtucket last season and provides another lefty option.

Boston’s trio of aces will be expected to pitch deep into games and limit this group’s work. If a starter does falter, Farrell likely will mix and match his middle relievers and rely heavily on situational pitching.

The Backups: Noe Ramirez, Roenis Elias, Brandon Workman
Injuries happen, and if this deep bullpen thins out, the Red Sox have options down on the farm. Ramirez bounced back and forth between Pawtucket and Boston last season and could serve as an emergency relief option.

Elias made a brief stint as a starter last season, but the Red Sox’s overcrowded rotation means any work he’ll get at the big league level this season likely will come in the bullpen.

Then there’s Workman, who hasn’t pitched since 2014 while recovering from Tommy John surgery. The 28-year-old right-hander finally could return to the mound this season, and if he performs well in Triple-A, he could get a call to the bigs at some point.

The X-Factor(s): Eduardo Rodriguez, Drew Pomeranz, Steven Wright, Carson Smith
Unless Farrell wants to roll with a six-man rotation, one of the first three guys mentioned above could be heading to the bullpen.

Pomeranz finished last season as a reliever, while Wright also has experience in the ‘pen. But a starter’s presence on the relief staff still will create a dilemma for Farrell, who has to decide whether to give a guy like Rodriguez, Pomeranz or Wright occasional spots in long relief or move them to the back end of an already crowded bullpen.

Things will get even more crowded if Smith stays on schedule and returns in June. The 27-year-old right-hander was a solid eighth-inning reliever for the Seattle Mariners before coming to Boston, and he could provide another strong setup option for Kimbrel down the stretch.

The Expectations
The addition of Thornburg makes this bullpen better (on paper) than it was in 2016. But it all comes down to consistency. If Thornburg lives up to the hype, Kelly carries his momentum into 2017 and Kimbrel re-establishes himself as one of the game’s top closers, the Red Sox will boast a formidable late-inning unit behind their even more formidable rotation. That’s a lot of “ifs,” though.