Red Sox reportedly close to bringing in Andrew Bailey as team's new pitching coach

BOSTON -- It looks like Craig Breslow is closing in on his first big move as chief baseball officer of the Boston Red Sox. The former Red Sox reliever is reportedly looking to bring in another former Red Sox reliever to fill a key role on Alex Cora's staff.

The Red Sox are close to hiring Andrew Bailey as the team's pitching coach, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Bailey, a former All-Star closer during his playing days, spent the last four years as the pitching coach of the San Francisco Giants. 

In San Fran, Bailey helped develop righty Logan Webb, who had a 3.07 ERA and 1.112 WHIP over the last three seasons. He also oversaw career seasons from veterans Alex Cobb (an All-Star last season) and Kevin Gausman during his tenure.

In Boston, Bailey would work with young hurlers like Brayan Bello, Tanner Houck, and Garrett Whitlock at the major league level, as well has help develop prospects Luis Perales and Wikelman Gonzalez, both of whom were added to the 40-man roster on Tuesday. 

It's clear that the Red Sox are focused on fixing their organizational pitching issues, as the team fired both pitching coach Dave Bush and Triple-A pitching coach Paul Abbott this offseason. Bailey has been a popular guy since his contract with the Giants expired after the World Series, with the Marlins and the Yankees also expressing interest in him.

As a player, Bailey earned Rookie of the Year honors in 2009 when he saved 26 games for the Oakland Athletics. He was an All-Star in each of his first two years in the big leagues, and was then acquired by the Red Sox ahead of the 2012 season to be the team's closer following Jonathan Papelbon's departure in free agency. But injuries derailed his first season with the Red Sox, and he ended up with just 14 saves in his 22 opportunities while with Boston. 

Bailey pitched for the Yankees (2015), Phillies (2016), and the Angels (2016-17) before retiring in 2018. He got his start in coaching as a coaching assistant and video replay coordinator for the Angels, and was the bullpen coach in Los Angeles in 2019 before starting his stint with the Giants in 2020. 

Now it looks like he's heading back to Boston, where he'll look to fix some veterans and develop the young arms of the Red Sox.