More Questions Than Answers Surrounding Red Sox Bullpen Heading Into 2022 Season
BOSTON (CBS) -- We wrote about the plethora of question marks surrounding the Red Sox rotation on Tuesday. Today, we dive into the bullpen, which is an even bigger concern than the guys who will start.
Mostly because we don't know who will be out there to try and lock down wins for Boston. Or who will get the ball in the eighth or seventh, and so on. We really have no idea who will fill what roles, other than Garrett Whitlock will be asked to do a lot.
Who gets the ball in the late innings will probably be decided by computers and spreadsheets. This is the way in baseball these days.
Here's a rundown of the Sox bullpen, in no particular order:
Matt Barnes, RHP
Garrett Whitlock, RHP
Ryan Brasier, RHP
Hansel Robles, RHP
Josh Taylor, LHP
Austin Davis, LHP
Phillips Valdez, RHP
Matt Strahm, LHP
Hirokazu Sawamura, RHP
Jake Diekman, LHP
Tyler Danish, RHP
Kutter Crawford, RHP
Barnes never returned to his closer role after melting down following the All-Star break last season, and he's been having a slew of issues this spring, from a hitch in his leg kick to a drop in velocity. Neither of those sound very promising as we inch closer to the 2022 season.
The only real certainty in the bullpen right now is that Whitlock is there and he's pretty great. He was being stretched out to potentially start, but he will begin the year in the bullpen, mostly out of necessity. He could close if needed, and be a multi-inning closer at that, but will likely spend most of his time as the long guy when starters falter. And chances are the starters will be faltering as the season gets underway.
It seems like the answer to any problem with the Red Sox pitching staff will be to "throw a Whitlock at it." As amazing as the 25-year-old was last year, that approach is going to burn him out at some point. Not ideal for the most valuable arm on the roster.
Taylor is the best southpaw out of the pen, but will start the season on the IL as he recovers from a back strain. Austin Davis and newcomer Matt Strahm -- along with his sweet locks -- could be the first lefties out of the pen to start the season. Strahm is coming off a lost season where he pitched just 6.2 innings for the Padres in 2021 as he returned from knee surgery.
Brasier, like Barnes, also had a drop in velocity this spring. He pitched just 12 innings late last season and was effective, but was then hit hard in the postseason, so we'll see what the 34-year-old has in the tank this year. We're taking a wait-and-see approach with Sawamura and Diekman (a lefty who signed a two-year deal with Boston in the offseason) as well. Both struggled during the spring, but could be very important arms in 2022.
Robles will likely be one of the more dependable arms in the mix, but just started to see game action this week due to a visa issue, picking up the win with a scoreless inning on Tuesday. He could potentially close following a few quality months last season after Boston acquired him from the Twins at the deadline, notching four saves with a 3.60 ERA and .223 batting average against over 27 appearances.
Crawford not only has an awesome baseball name, but he showed off some impressive velocity this spring and earned himself a spot on the Opening Day roster. He'll be used as a long reliever as well to start the year, which is an important role for every team given the short spring training and no real ramp-up time for starters. Mix in the concerns with Boston's rotation, and bullpen guys are probably going to have to eat a lot of innings in April.
The Boston bullpen heading into the season is a real mixed bag, and at the moment, it doesn't look like a very good one. But Alex Cora is going to have to dip his hand into it quite a bit early on, which will lead to some adventurous evenings for the Red Sox.
But no group goes through a season-long metamorphosis like a bullpen staff, and this will not be the group that Boston closes the year with. Expect Chaim Bloom to be extremely busy trying to sort it all out throughout the season.