Ex-Tigers Star Southpaw Would Be Perfect Addition To Red Sox's Bullpen

Boston's bullpen could be put over the top with one more move

Scott Neville | Feb 9, 2023

Ex-Tigers Star Southpaw Would Be Perfect Addition To Red Sox's Bullpen /

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Could the Boston Red Sox have the best bullpen in Major League Baseball by making one more splash with spring training right around the corner?

Thanks to a complete overhaul by Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom, the club boasts Kenley Jansen, Chris Martin, Richard Bleier, John Schreiber and Tanner Houck at the back of the bullpen. All five could be described as legitimate high-leverage relievers.

That said, there is another hurler still available that would put the aforementioned group over the top.

Former Detroit Tigers left-hander Andrew Chafin still is on the market despite highly impressive production over the last few seasons.

The 32-year-old logged a 2.83 ERA with a 67-to-19 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .222 batting average against, 1.17 WHIP and 134 ERA+ in 57 1/3 innings out of the Tigers bullpen last season.

Chafin has elite underlying metrics to support his production, ranking in the 86th percentile for expected batting average, 81st percentile for hard hit percentage, 89th percentile for chase rate and 87th percentile for whiff rate.

The left-hander has a nearly even pitch distribution between his sinker, slider and four-seam fastball -- which averages 91.6 mph -- but his offspeed offering is by far his most effective.

While Chafin is a southpaw, he's far from a left-handed specialist. He actually had reverse splits last season -- meaning he was even more effective against right-handed hitting. The veteran journeyman held right-handed batters to a .214 batting average and .586 OPS.

That said, he was plenty effective against his fellow left-handers, posting a .233 batting average against with a .665 OPS.

Having a player of Chafin's caliber still on the market is a gift, one that the Red Sox should embrace with open arms.

More MLB: Top Unsigned MLB Players Still Available At Each Position; How Red Sox Can Bolster Roster

Published Feb 9, 2023

SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the Boston Red Sox for Sports Illustrated's new page "Inside The Red Sox." Before starting "Inside The Red Sox", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer. His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join the Sports Illustrated Media Group in his current endeavor as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox." The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Red Sox" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu