Padres $5 Million Lockdown Reliever Listed As Trade Candidate For Red Sox

A familiar face who could certainly help the Red Sox lock down games

Feb 12, 2024; Peoria, AZ, USA; A general view of a hat belonging to a member of the San Diego Padres during a workout day at Peoria Sports Complex. Mandatory Credit: Allan Henry-Imagn Images / Allan Henry-Imagn Images

If there's one aspect of the 2024 Boston Red Sox that is sure to give fans nightmares several years in the future, it's the bullpen without a doubt.

After the All-Star break, the Red Sox bullpen completely imploded. Boston blew 18 of its 32 save opportunities after the Midsummer Classic, and finished just five games out of playoff position. It's a crude equation, but if the Red Sox had saved just 60% of their chances in the second half, they likely would have made the playoffs.

Looking ahead, the Red Sox have free agents Kenley Jansen and Chris Martin coming off the books, which frees up payroll, but leaves the Red Sox short two key bullpen arms. Though there are talented options in house, Boston may have to look outside the organization for another high-leverage reliever or two.

A team that makes sense as a trade partner is the San Diego Padres, who loaded up on relievers at the July deadline and are now hurting for prospects. Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report named the Red Sox as a fit for Padres bullpen ace Jason Adam on Friday.

"The Padres loaded up at the trade deadline, which was good for their contention prospects but bad for their farm system," Rymer said. "If the team wants to add some pennies back to the jar, so to speak, it can look to leverage its surplus of talented relievers on the trade market. And with Jason Adam, they could look to make a deal that would add prospects and save money."

Adam, 32, has been one of baseball's most dominant relievers since the start of 2022, posting a 2.12 ERA and 225 strikeouts in 191 1/3 innings during that time frame. Red Sox fans are quite familiar with his work, as the righty pitched for the Tampa Bay Rays for two-and-a-half years before the trade to San Diego.

He is scheduled to go through arbitration, but Adam is predicted to earn roughly $5 million in 2025. He is also under team control for 2026, so a team trading for him would have more bullpen stability from year to year.

The Red Sox can't afford another bullpen collapse, so adding a reliever with a proven track record like Adam makes a ton of sense. The question will be how steep a prospect price San Diego is looking to extort, and whether Boston sees fit to pay such a price to improve at the big-league level.

More MLB: Red Sox $90 Million Free Agent Named Fit For Surprising AL Playoff Team