Next Red Sox Closer? Two High-Upside Relievers Just Became Free Agents
Bolstering the bullpen should be a priority for Boston
The list of high-profiled free agents the Boston Red Sox have been linked to this offseason is actually quite impressive.
Take a look for yourself: Juan Soto, Max Fried, Corbin Burnes and Blake Snell.
The one problem with that list? None of those players are relievers.
Boston’s bullpen was a major issue, especially during the second half of the season, in their 81-81 season in 2024. Kenley Jansen, who was the closer for the Red Sox the last two seasons, and setup man Chris Martin are both free agents, leaving an already questionable bullpen possibly even thinner. That currently makes Liam Hendriks, who hasn’t pitched in an MLB game since June 2023, and Justin Slaten as Boston’s top two relievers at the moment.
But two talented relief options, perhaps even to assume the role of closer, dropped out of the sky Friday night when their respective teams decided to non-tender their contracts, making them free agents. And the Red Sox could look at either — or both — Jordan Romano or Kyle Finnegan as solutions to bolster their bullpen.
The Red Sox know what Romano can offer since he pitched for the Toronto Blue Jays for the past six seasons. The veteran right-hander has plenty of experience closing out games, too. He recorded 105 saves during his time with the Blue Jays with 95 of those coming from 2021-23 when he was named an All-Star twice.
But Romano dealt with injury issues last season and ended up undergoing arthroscopic surgery for a right elbow impingement in early July. He finished the 2024 campaign with a 1-2 record and a bloated 6.59 ERA to go along with eight saves.
The Red Sox obviously will want to see Romano’s medical reports if they end up pursuing the 31-year-old. And if Romano is healthy and can return to form, he would be a big addition for Boston.
The Red Sox could always choose to target Finnegan instead. Unlike Romano, he’s trending upward after he turned in an impressive season in 2024. He finished third in MLB with 38 saves for the Washington Nationals. That wasn’t an anomaly from Finnegan, either. The right-hander notched 28 saves the season prior to that.
The 33-year-old has shown durability in his career, too. He made at least 65 appearances in each of the last four seasons and never sported an ERA over 4.00 in his career.
Going after Romano or Finnegan won’t draw the same type of attention the Red Sox have generated from the big names they reportedly are going after. But they could still make a sizable impact on Boston’s 2025 club.
