Red Sox Bullpen Taking Shape After Addition Of Notable All-Star Closer

Boston has put a focus on adding to the bullpen

Scott Neville | Dec 7, 2022

Red Sox Bullpen Taking Shape After Addition Of Notable All-Star Closer /

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Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox made a fantastic addition Wednesday morning, filling a role they haven't had in years.

For the first time since Craig Kimbrel departed prior to the 2019 season, the Red Sox can finally say they have a legitimate closer, putting the "closer by committee" to bed.

"Closer Kenley Jansen and the Boston Red Sox are in agreement on a two-year, $32 million contract," ESPN's Jeff Passan tweeted.

Jansen has been a notable closer since 2012 and is still getting the job done as a 35-year-old. The right-hander's 391 career saves ranks eighth all-time, and he's in line to end his career inside the top five.

Last season Jansen went 5-2 with a league-leading 41 saves on 48 opportunities, 3.38 ERA, 85-to-22 strikeout-to-walk ratio and .192 batting average against in 64 innings for the Atlanta Braves.

Despite his age, Jansen still lights up the underlying metrics, including the 98th percentile in expected batting average and 97th percentile in strikeout percentage.

He'll join newly acquired Chris Martin, John Schreiber coming off a breakout season, Matt Barnes -- who appeared to look like his old self down the stretch -- and Tanner Houck as high-leverage options. The team also added left-hander Joely Rodriguez.

For the first time in years, it appears as if Red Sox manager Alex Cora will have the ammo to set defined roles, with Jansen leading the charge.

After years of neglecting the bullpen, Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom has put together a formidable group, even after losing out on some notable free agents due to location preferences.

It would be unfair to say Bloom is unwilling to spend on the bullpen at this juncture, putting that narrative to bed.

More Winter Meetings:

-- Red Sox Reportedly Looking To Snatch Former All-Star Slugger From Yankees

-- Another Red Sox Rival Likely Out Of Xander Bogaerts Chase Helping Boston's Chances

-- Here's Chaim Bloom's Surprisingly Detailed Plan For Red Sox Offseason

-- All-Star Closer Reportedly Available Via Trade; Makes Perfect Sense For Red Sox

-- Red Sox Place Fan Favorite Slugger On Trade Block After Lackluster Stint In Boston

-- Red Sox Reportedly Are In Contact With Free Agent Reigning MVP Aaron Judge

-- Top Xander Bogaerts Suitor Reportedly Off Board Making Red Sox Reunion More Likely

-- High-Spending Mets Reportedly Interested in Former Red Sox Fan Favorite

Published Dec 7, 2022

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