The Boston Red Sox seriously need to address the bullpen this winter.
Boston had high hopes for the 2024 season, but the bullpen’s performance down the stretch is one of the biggest reasons why the team currently isn’t in the playoffs. Overall, the Red Sox finished the 2024 season with the 24th-ranked bullpen ERA at 4.39. That isn’t going to cut it.
There were some bright spots, but changes need to be made. Even with all of the negatives, both Kenley Jansen and Chris Martin impressed. Both are now free agents. It has been widely expected that Jansen would leave, but Martin seems like a more realistic candidate to reunite with.
Martin appeared in 100 games over the last two seasons for the Red Sox and logged an impressive 2.16 ERA and 96-to-11 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He has been great for Boston, and the team should do everything possible to retain him. Despite this, FanSided’s Ryan Bunton predicted that he will end up leaving this winter.
“Despite all of their bullpen problems, Martin remained one of Boston’s most dependable arms in 2024,” Bunton said. “In 45 appearances for the Red Sox this season, Martin posted a 3-1 record with a 3.53 ERA and 50 strikeouts in 44.1 innings pitched.
“Martin is an unrestricted free agent this offseason. The 38-year-old won a World Series in 2021 with the Atlanta Braves, and he would likely be a good fit for a team that has a solid shot at making a deep postseason run in 2025. The Boston Red Sox should be one of those franchises – but that is another discussion.”
Hopefully, the two sides can work something out this winter.
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