Brayan Bello, who was recently promoted from the Portland Sea Dogs to Triple-A Worcester, is among several prospects who might be called upon soon to join Boston’s leaky bullpen. Derek Davis/Staff Photographer
The Boston Red Sox bullpen, as currently constructed, hasn’t been up to snuff.
Through the first two months, the bullpen leads the league in blown saves (12) and has converted only 40% of its save opportunities. Red Sox relievers rank 27th out of 30 teams in wins above average (-1.6), and their struggles have played a big part in Boston being only 8-15 in games decided by one or two runs.
That’s not good enough, and Chaim Bloom, the team’s chief baseball officer, acknowledged the bullpen hasn’t lived up to expectations.
“Fair to say at this point we were hoping to have a more settled picture in the bullpen than we’ve had,” Bloom said.
Speaking to reporters Wednesday, Bloom blamed a combination of injuries and underperformance for the unit’s struggles. Basically there have been too many instances where they’ve had to reshuffle the bullpen because of a key injury, and too often those who are available haven’t pitched to their usual standards.
The churn has been striking. Of the nine relievers who started the season on the Opening Day roster, seven have either spent time on the injured list or have been demoted to Triple-A. That includes Matt Barnes, who had been one of the five worst relievers in baseball before he was placed on the 15-day injured list with right shoulder inflammation Wednesday afternoon.
Given all of that, the obvious question is what is Bloom going to do about it? The natural move would be adding an experienced reliever before the trade deadline, but while Bloom said he’s open to the possibility, his response suggested he might have another plan in mind.
“We would always want to do that,” Bloom said about adding an experienced reliever. “I don’t want to take that one factor (experience) and put it ahead of everything else, because at the end of the day, sometimes there are situations where the jolt can come from someone who is less experienced that jumps right in and takes over the job.”
Whether the Red Sox make a move ahead of the trade deadline or not, it’s likely the bulk of the club’s options are already in the organization. Bloom noted that two of the most impactful relievers have been Triple-A call-ups John Schreiber and Tyler Danish, both of whom have carved out important roles ahead of more established veterans.
With several top prospects already on the 40-man roster now pitching in Worcester, it’s likely more intriguing arms could factor into the equation before long.
At the top of the wish list for Red Sox fans is likely be Brayan Bello, the club’s No. 1 pitching prospect, who has been dominant since being called up to Triple-A earlier this month. Through his first three starts, Bello is 3-0 with a 3.18 ERA and 26 strikeouts in 17 innings, and Bloom said he’s come a long way even since last year, when he was the organization’s minor league starting pitcher of the year.
“His progress really the last couple of years has been something to watch. Really, really remarkable,” Bloom said. “He’s got a lot of different weapons, he knows how to use them now, there’s obviously more development there but he’s got a really high ceiling.”
Bello isn’t the only one knocking on the door. Josh Winckowski, who made his MLB debut in a spot start Saturday, could be another bullpen option as the season goes on, as could Triple-A starters Connor Seabold and Kutter Crawford, who made the Opening Day roster out of camp before struggling against the tougher competition.
Of course, there is also the possibility that Garrett Whitlock could return to the bullpen from the starting rotation. For now, that likely isn’t on the table, as Bloom said the Red Sox want to give Whitlock more consistency and the chance to get more comfortable in a starter’s routine.
But once Chris Sale is ready to return to the rotation?
“We haven’t thought too far ahead,” Bloom said. “Let’s get to that point and see where we are.”
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