The 34-year-old (he'll be 35 on Opening Day) was not spectacular but performed in a variety of roles for the Red Sox last season, his first in the majors after a two-year hiatus to play in Japan.
Atchison was primarily a reliever but was Johnny-on-the-spot for an emergency start against the Phillies in June, when Daisuke Matsuzaka was a last-minute scratch, and for a long relief appearance in San Franisco, after Clay Buchholz injured his leg running the bases.
Though his 4.50 ERA won't have him contending for the Cy Young Award, that's not his job. His role is to eat innings and provide an arm that can simply be trusted to get outs. Atchison succeeded on both fronts, averaging 1 1/3 innings per appearance and had 13 appearances in which he allowed no hits — 10 of which also included zero walks.
At his low price tag (he made $420,000 last year), bringing Atchison back was a virtual no-brainer for Theo Epstein.
