Four Impact Relievers Red Sox Should Pursue In Free Agency
Boston's in for a bullpen revival
The Boston Red Sox benefited the last two years from the veteran presence of Kenley Jansen and Chris Martin.
Outside of that duo, Boston never had a depth of high-powered relievers, and that burned the ballclub down the stretch in their last two playoff absences.
That group should have a brand new look in 2025. Liam Hendriks will make his team debut for the Red Sox after rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. He’s a former All-Star closer that could reprise that role in Boston. Elsewhere, Justin Slaten showed legit stuff and brings promise as a young arm.
Internally, the Red Sox still have plenty of question marks: Will Luis Guerrero and Zach Penrod take another step forward? Will Garrett Whitlock go back to the bullpen (where he made his dominant mark in 2021)?
On top of those questions, the Red Sox should pursue outside help and there’s plenty of options to choose from based on the identity they choose for the bullpen. Alex Cora wants “monsters” among his relievers, which can be found on this free agent market.
Here are five names the Red Sox should consider for the 2025 bullpen.
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Tanner Scott
This is it. Scott is the monster who can transform Cora’s bullpen.
The left-hander dominated hitters left and right across his time with the Miami Marlins and the San Diego Padres in 2024. He posted a 1.72 ERA in 72 appearances and struck out 10.5 batters per nine innings. His pitch arsenal is electric with the ability to get both lefties and righties out.
Scott consistently met the moment against elite talent too, carving up Shohei Ohtani against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Division Series.
Scott is the answer for the Red Sox. End of story.
Clay Holmes
Yes, Holmes crashed and burned with the Yankees. Let’s pump the brakes for a moment, though.
Holmes’ stuff is legitimate when it’s on with. His sinker moves with the best of them, his breaking ball trends well among advanced metrics and he misses bats. If the Red Sox and pitching coach Andrew Bailey can restore his control, there’s a real option to add a weapon to the bullpen.
As a closer? Probably not, but Holmes can still be an efficient reliever. He posted a sub-3.00 ERA in two of the last three seasons.
José Leclerc
Leclerc took a step back after the Rangers nearly pitched his arm off on their way to a World Series championship in 2023. His ERA zipped up over 4.00 after posting a sub-3.00 ERA in 2022 and 2023.
His fastball-slider combination can still overpower hitters when he’s fresh with elite strikeout and swing-and-miss numbers. Like Holmes, Leclerc should not close for the Red Sox but can be a valuable leverage arm nonetheless.
A.J. Minter
If Scott is unavailable or unattainable for the Red Sox, Boston still needs an impact left-hander. Minter is among the best in the game in recent memory.
Minter anchored the bullpen for the Atlanta Braves for years. He posted a 3.28 ERA over his eight seasons with the Braves and stepped up in the postseason time and time again. He played an integral role in Atlanta’s World Series title in 2021.
Minter is 31 years old with plenty left in the tank to (potentially) bring to Boston.
Jeff Hoffman
Hoffman took a long, winding journey to his role as an impact believer. He found it with the Philadelphia Phillies over the last two seasons. He posted a 2.28 ERA over those two campaigns and gained valuable postseason experience on talented teams.
Hoffman just found his form and should offer steady production for his new home in free agency.
