How are we feeling about the state of the Red Sox bullpen right now?

[Cameron Tran]

Bernardino and Whitlock are looking solid this spring. Don't really know what the closer role will look like but right now I trust Chapman over Slaten or Hendriks. That could definitely change this summer. Problem is no one has looked all that good. Wink has been awful. Weissert and Guerrero haven't been great. Hendriks looks rusty. Justin Wilson isn't looking good. Could the bullpen be what kills this team again? I know Spring Training stats are pretty meaningless, but the Bullpen looks weak. We definelty should've pushed harder for one of the high end relievers. Is it time to give David Robertson a call?

[mvp 78]

This bullpen may start off on a cold streak but there are a bunch of other names to fill in at various points to supplement it: Fitts/Priester, Newcomb, Fulmer, Kelly, Mills, Burdi, Criswell, Sandlin, Dobbins, Penrod. I'm not against calling up Robertson either. 

[Old Red]

16 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

This bullpen may start off on a cold streak but there are a bunch of other names to fill in at various points to supplement it: Fitts/Priester, Newcomb, Fulmer, Kelly, Mills, Burdi, Criswell, Sandlin, Dobbins, Penrod. I'm not against calling up Robertson either. 

Back end of the BP namely the closer is the biggest question mark to me.

[mvp 78]

2 minutes ago, Old Red said:

Back end of the BP namely the closer is the biggest question mark to me.

Hendriks starts off with it, but Slaten probably takes over at some point early on. I think they'll be fine after that happens. 

[Cameron Tran]

2 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

Hendriks starts off with it, but Slaten probably takes over at some point early on. I think they'll be fine after that happens. 

henriks looks awful right now. Why do you  like him over chapman?

 

[Larry Cook]

1 minute ago, Cameron Tran said:

henriks looks awful right now. Why do you  like him over chapman?

 

Chapman has serious command and control issues 

[Cameron Tran]

3 minutes ago, Larry Cook said:

Chapman has serious command and control issues 

True but he always has. BB/9 has actually gone down in recent years but still way above average. Chapman hasen't been a closer since 2021 but Hendriks hasn't pitched in general since 2022. I think Henriks slow start means Chapman wins the closer role out the gate

[mvp 78]

20 minutes ago, Cameron Tran said:

henriks looks awful right now. Why do you  like him over chapman?

 

I'm not saying that I like Hendriks as closer. I'm just stating what I believe the Sox will do from late March - mid May or so. I also don't want Chapman's 6 bb/9 anywhere near the closer's role. 

[Cameron Tran]

Just now, mvp 78 said:

I'm not saying that I like Hendriks as closer. I'm just stating what I believe the Sox will do from late March - mid May or so. I also don't want Chapman's 6 bb/9 anywhere near the closer's role. 

Fair enough. I think Slaten or Guerrero beats both of them out by the ASG anyways

[mvp 78]

5 minutes ago, Cameron Tran said:

True but he always has. BB/9 has actually gone down in recent years but still way above average. Chapman hasen't been a closer since 2021 but Hendriks hasn't pitched in general since 2022. I think Henriks slow start means Chapman wins the closer role out the gate

'21 6.1

'22 6.9

'23 5.6

'24 5.7 

Hard to really say his bb/9 is "down" when only 2 of his previous 11 seasons were ever above 5 bb/9. Last year he was bottom 1st percentile in the league in bb%. It's really, really bad!

[Cameron Tran]

10 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

'21 6.1

'22 6.9

'23 5.6

'24 5.7 

Hard to really say his bb/9 is "down" when only 2 of his previous 11 seasons were ever above 5 bb/9. Last year he was bottom 1st percentile in the league in bb%. It's really, really bad!

Biggest problem is he's not getting the same Outside Zone swings as his peak. 25% last year, down from career 29% avg. Throwing the same percentage of pitches out of the zone but just not getting as many swings at them. Looks even worse this spring to be honest, swing% in general is way down and he's still sporting a BB/9 over 6. Neither of them are great options. Honestly would've rather we kept Jansen on a one year deal. 

[moonslav59]

32 minutes ago, Cameron Tran said:

True but he always has. BB/9 has actually gone down in recent years but still way above average. 

4.5 BB/9 before 2022

5.6 BB/9 2022-2024 (5.7 in 2024.)

BB%

11.9 % 2010-2021

15.3% 2022-2024

[Old Red]

31 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

I'm not saying that I like Hendriks as closer. I'm just stating what I believe the Sox will do from late March - mid May or so. I also don't want Chapman's 6 bb/9 anywhere near the closer's role. 

I hope things work out, but I’m pretty skeptical of relying on a 36 year old closer who has only pitched 5 innings since 2022. I felt a lot better gong into the last two seasons about the 8th, and 9th innings. Not a sound plan IMO.

[moonslav59]

29 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

'21 6.1

'22 6.9

'23 5.6

'24 5.7 

Hard to really say his bb/9 is "down" when only 2 of his previous 11 seasons were ever above 5 bb/9. Last year he was bottom 1st percentile in the league in bb%. It's really, really bad!

He was really bad in 2021 and 2022, so one could say he has improved over those years. To me BB% is a better measure than BB/9.

Career 12.6%

8.9% in'20

15.6 in '21

17.5 in '22

14.5 in '23

14.7 in '24

Man, those are some awful numbers.

That being said, Hendriks has not pitched in so long, and looks terrible, now. I might start 2025 w Chapman and have Slaten or Whitlock as the back-ups.

[Old Red]

50 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

He was really bad in 2021 and 2022, so one could say he has improved over those years. To me BB% is a better measure than BB/9.

Career 12.6%

8.9% in'20

15.6 in '21

17.5 in '22

14.5 in '23

14.7 in '24

Man, those are some awful numbers.

That being said, Hendriks has not pitched in so long, and looks terrible, now. I might start 2025 w Chapman and have Slaten or Whitlock as the back-ups.

To not know who the closer is going into ST is not a good plan in itself, but to not know at the end of ST is even worse. Like I said I hope things all work out, but I have serious doubts.

[dgalehouse]

Aroldis Chapman is one of the best closers of his era. 335 career saves. And despite his getting older, he has somehow maintained his high velocity. His career ERA of 2.63 indicates that the walks have not been as harmful as you might think.  And I say that as someone who is not a fan of Chapman. Liam Hendriks, if healthy, is also very capable. Add in guys like Whitlock, Slaten and Guerrero and this bullpen is shaping up nicely. And their success is definitely critical to the team's success. 

[mvp 78]

1 hour ago, Old Red said:

I hope things work out, but I’m pretty skeptical of relying on a 36 year old closer who has only pitched 5 innings since 2022. I felt a lot better gong into the last two seasons about the 8th, and 9th innings. Not a sound plan IMO.

It will be more hit than miss, unfortunately in the short term!

[mvp 78]

18 minutes ago, dgalehouse said:

Aroldis Chapman is one of the best closers of his era. 335 career saves. And despite his getting older, he has somehow maintained his high velocity. His career ERA of 2.63 indicates that the walks have not been as harmful as you might think.  And I say that as someone who is not a fan of Chapman. Liam Hendriks, if healthy, is also very capable. Add in guys like Whitlock, Slaten and Guerrero and this bullpen is shaping up nicely. And their success is definitely critical to the team's success. 

If Chapman is the closer, I’m turning the game off after 8. Don’t need more stress in my life.

[Old Red]

12 minutes ago, dgalehouse said:

Aroldis Chapman is one of the best closers of his era. 335 career saves. And despite his getting older, he has somehow maintained his high velocity. His career ERA of 2.63 indicates that the walks have not been as harmful as you might think.  And I say that as someone who is not a fan of Chapman. Liam Hendriks, if healthy, is also very capable. Add in guys like Whitlock, Slaten and Guerrero and this bullpen is shaping up nicely. And their success is definitely critical to the team's success. 

Yes Chapman has been a good closer, but is now 36, and hasn’t been a FT closer for a few years now. Hendricks also 36 has only pitched 5 innings since 2022, so we’ll find out how capable they are now.

[Larry Cook]

Last year, slaten had a tough first outing in Seattle, then pitched lights out until he got hurt. 
1.) is he healthy this year? 
2.) can he regain his pre injury form? 
 

 

[dgalehouse]

11 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

If Chapman is the closer, I’m turning the game off after 8. Don’t need more stress in my life.

I have maintained for years that closing out a tight game is one of the most stressful moments in sports. Everyone can feel the tension. The pitcher, hitter, defenders,  managers, umpires, announcers, the fans, even the peanut vendor. Chapman has a very good track record, one of the best, but the first time he walks a couple of guys and blows a save, people will go crazy.  We don't need any more stress in our lives , so try to remember that it's just a game.

[moonslav59]

2 hours ago, Old Red said:

To not know who the closer is going into ST is not a good plan in itself, but to not know at the end of ST is even worse. Like I said I hope things all work out, but I have serious doubts.

It baffled me, how we tried to go with a group of migh-be's instead of a proven closer with recent success.

Even David Robertson could have been a late signing who had a better chance than these guys.

I like Slaten and Whitlock, but I'm not sure they are "closer types." We should not be in a situation where we have to go through 3-4 guys to MAYBE find one that works. (It worked with Uehara back in 2013, but it's not a good plan: I agree.)

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

Because of the bullpen moves this regime has made, I get the sense the current front office feels relievers are just too mercurial to invest in any longterm.

Hot and cold, healthy and injured, fresh and tired -- bullpens are one big cluster fluctuation.

For evidence, maybe we should look no further than the late-inning mound days of our Chief Baseball Officer and his pitching coach.

The problem with this crew is that if Hendriks sucks and gets lit up, he'll lose his job. But if Chapman still throws a hundred, but walks the park every other 9th, they'll keep him... and give us all strokes and coronaries.

Whitlock is easily the best pitcher in the pen. It's just too bad for us he's so good they want him for two-inning stints and not the 9th...

[moonslav59]

1 hour ago, 5GoldGlovesOF,75 said:

Because of the bullpen moves this regime has made, I get the sense the current front office feels relievers are just too mercurial to invest in any longterm.

Hot and cold, healthy and injured, fresh and tired -- bullpens are one big cluster fluctuation.

For evidence, maybe we should look no further than the late-inning mound days of our Chief Baseball Officer and his pitching coach.

The problem with this crew is that if Hendriks sucks and gets lit up, he'll lose his job. But if Chapman still throws a hundred, but walks the park every other 9th, they'll keep him... and give us all strokes and coronaries.

Whitlock is easily the best pitcher in the pen. It's just too bad for us he's so good they want him for two-inning stints and not the 9th...

Great post.

IMO, our pen would be pretty damn good, if we had a lockdown closer, and every other RP'er was knocked down one role slot.

Slaten, Hendriks & Chapman would make plus set-up men, and maybe only 2 have to be good.

Whitlock pitches the 2 high leverage innings every third day. (Criswell offers nice depth for him.)

When Crawford returns, he could be a nice boost (or Fitts/Priester)

Wink, Weissert, Guerrero & Bernardino offer decent depth.

[mvp 78]

11 hours ago, 5GoldGlovesOF,75 said:

Whitlock is easily the best pitcher in the pen. It's just too bad for us he's so good they want him for two-inning stints and not the 9th...

I'm not sure we necessarily know this. The bigger issue is that he may not be able to throw back to back days.

[Bellhorn04]

Put it this way, I don't think any Sox fan would be averse to signing Robertson.

Crazy that Robertson isn't signed yet, assuming he still wants to play.  Maybe he only wants to play if it's the right amount.  There haven't even been any rumors about him that I've noticed.

 

[mvp 78]

15 minutes ago, Bellhorn04 said:

Put it this way, I don't think any Sox fan would be averse to signing Robertson.

Crazy that Robertson isn't signed yet, assuming he still wants to play.  Maybe he only wants to play if it's the right amount.  There haven't even been any rumors about him that I've noticed.

 

That's a function of him being his own agent. 

[moonslav59]

On 3/19/2025 at 7:15 AM, mvp 78 said:

I'm not sure we necessarily know this. The bigger issue is that he may not be able to throw back to back days.

If he throws 2 IP, maybe 3 every now and again, maybe going every 2-3 days if fine.

2 IP x 80 games= 160 IP (every 2 games- highly unlikely)

2 IP x 54 games= 108 IP (every 3 games)

I could see him getting 80-100 IP, if he stays healthy.

[Hitch]

It feels more and more to me like it's Chapman with the 9th. His until/unless he loses it. 

 

That'll be...fun!

[mvp 78]

3 minutes ago, Hitch said:

It feels more and more to me like it's Chapman with the 9th. His until/unless he loses it. 

 

That'll be...fun!

No, because I'm not a masochist.