Red Sox manager Alex Cora is a strong proponent of the closer, routinely advocating to have someone set in that position throughout his tenure in Boston.
Craig Kimbrel was already in place when Cora arrived in 2018, but things got murky after the former’s departure and led to years of taking a by-committee approach. Brandon Workman, Adam Ottavino, Matt Barnes, John Schreiber and Tanner Houck were all given a shot and eventually fumbled the role away, which led to the addition of Kenley Jansen in 2023.
Jansen is now gone, though, meaning the competition is on to fill his vacated spot in the back of the bullpen. Liam Hendricks and Aroldis Chapman appear to be the current leaders in the clubhouse, but it appears to be open to everybody.
Boston isn’t going to just slide someone into the role. Cora wants one of his relievers to take it.
“I believe in that,” Cora said at spring training on Tuesday, as seen on NESN. “We’ll see, because health comes into play. The good thing is, we haven’t promised any of those guys a role. We haven’t told Liam or Chappy that they have the ninth, so they know that.
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“… It’s going to be a more flexible bullpen, so we have to start mapping out what we’re going to be doing over the next two weeks. We have some guys who have options, and they’re going to hate it, but we’re going to have to make tough decisions. We’re going to be flexible and versatile, and it’s going to help us win games.”
Hendricks and Chapman have the most experience closing games, combining for more than 450 saves and 10 total All-Star selections. Justin Slaten is a dark horse candidate, though, as his stuff plays just as well as anyone else’s in the clubhouse at this point.
Garrett Whitlock is also looking for a home, and the ninth inning very well could be it.
“Whit reminded me that he closed the wild-card game in 2021,” Cora said. “We’ve got guys. We have options, which is a good thing.”
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What do you think, Red Sox fans? Who should be the closer in 2025?
Featured image via Jerome Miron/Imagn Images
