Craig Kimbrel? Never heard of him – signed Dave Dombrowski. The Red Sox bullpen has been picked apart by the media. Of course, that’s what they said a year ago and the Red Sox won 108 games and the World Series to go with it. The Boston bullpen will look different without Joe Kelly and Craig Kimbrel but Dombrowski claims the Sox are all set with this group that they currently have.
“As far as signings are concerned I would say we’re through at this point,” Dombrowski said (via Rob Bradford of WEEI) when asked about his bullpen. Dombrowski wouldn’t expressly rule out the possibility of changing course if something in Spring Training necessitated an addition, but he added that at the moment, the Sox “don’t have anything going on outside the organization.”
The reason for that obviously has to do with money. Boston currently sits $4.7 million below the highest luxury tax threshold. The same threshold they exceeded a year ago. The penalties for exceeding that mark include picking 10 spots lower for every selection in the baseball draft and getting taxed 75 percent for every dollar spent. That’s not going to happen. The Red Sox currently project to have a $237 million payroll which is by far the highest in the sport. Credit to John Henry for paying that much for players.
As of now, the Sox figure to role with Matt Barnes in the 9th, Ryan Brasier in the 8th, and Tyler Thornburg / Brandon Workman in the 7th. Some of the other guys on the roster include Steven Wright, Colten Brewer, Hector Velazquez, Brian Johnson, Bobby Poyner, Josh Taylor, Zach Putnam, Brian Ellington, and Jenrry Mejia. Not a list that inspires a ton of confidence!
