The Red Sox will be looking for bullpen help this offseason, and it appears the market for relievers just expanded.
The Philadelphia Inquirer reports the Philadelphia Phillies have declined to pick up left-handed specialist J.C. Romero's $4.5 million dollar option for 2011. This means that Romero, 34, is now officially a free agent.
Boston is familiar with the services Romero can provide, though his stint in Beantown was brief. The lefty pitched just 23 games for the Red Sox in 2007, before he was designated for assignment in June and was eventually picked up by Philadelphia.
As a member of the Phillies, Romero was a key component of the team's 2007 division championship and 2008 World Series title. But he's been hampered by injuries since then, and has pitched just 53 1/3 combined innings over the last two seasons.
But Romero does have the ability to get left-handed hitters out, as lefties hit just .174 against him from 2007 to 2009. And for the Red Sox, who are thin in the bullpen altogether, Romero could be a viable and cheap option.
