The Red Sox identified their bullpen as a weakness. And so far, they’ve made three moves to strengthen the unit, the latest coming Wednesday when Boston reportedly agreed to a two-year, $32 million contract with closer Kenley Jansen.
Jansen, who spent last season with the Atlanta Braves after 12 years with the Los Angeles Dodgers, will add stability to the ninth inning, something the Red Sox lacked in 2022. The right-hander led the National League with 41 saves in his lone campaign with Atlanta, giving him 391 for his career. Only former Boston closer Craig Kimbrel (394) has more among active pitchers.
Coincidentally, the ninth inning has been a game of musical chairs for the Red Sox since Kimbrel’s departure following Boston’s 2018 World Series win. And that was never more evident than last season, when John Schreiber, Tanner Houck and Matt Barnes tied for the team lead with eight saves.
Of course, many clubs nowadays don’t have a set closer, instead taking a committee approach and basing their bullpen usage on matchups, trends, etc. Oftentimes, it works. But the Red Sox know the other side of the coin all too well. Boston’s relief corps finished 26th in ERA (4.59) and 22nd in FIP (4.13) last season. The ‘pen, collectively, didn’t miss enough bats (17th in strikeout rate) to offset its issues with free passes (25th in walk rate).
Jansen, a three-time All-Star entering his age-35 season, doesn’t have the same velocity he featured during his heyday with the Dodgers. But he still was excellent with the Braves last season, registering a 3.38 ERA, a 3.21 FIP, a 1.047 WHIP and 12.0 strikeouts per nine innings across 65 appearances (64 innings). By and large, he was one of the best relievers available in free agency this offseason.
Perhaps most importantly, Jansen’s addition should enable Boston’s other relievers to land in roles for which they’re better suited. The aforementioned trio is a good example: Schreiber (a breakout star in 2022) can pitch in the middle innings, Barnes (a longtime setup man) can bridge the gap to the ninth and Houck (a promising starter-reliever hybrid) can work in a multi-frame role.
Toss in Boston’s other two bullpen additions — Joely RodrÃguez, a left-hander with very good underlying metrics, and Chris Martin, a right-hander who racks up strikeouts while limiting walks — and an obvious flaw quickly is becoming a reason for optimism ahead of Opening Day.
Here’s a quick rundown of what the Red Sox’s bullpen could look like in 2023:
Kenley Jansen, RHP
Chris Martin, RHP
Tanner Houck, RHP
Matt Barnes, RHP
John Schreiber, RHP
Joely RodrÃguez, LHP
Vacant?
Vacant?
The other one or two spots could feature some combination of Josh Taylor, Darwinzon Hernandez, Ryan Brasier, Kaleb Ort, Zack Kelly and/or Frank German, with prospects like Bryan Mata, Chris Murphy and Brandon Walter, among others, capable of changing the conversation during spring training. Maybe a development in the still-in-flux rotation — where Garrett Whitlock is expected to reside this season — bumps someone to the ‘pen.
It’s also possible Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom will continue augmenting the bullpen with external reinforcements, as it’s clear that’s been a point of emphasis this winter as Boston looks to bounce back from a last-place finish in the American League East.
