Should Red Sox Take Shot On All-Star Closer In Prime With Troubling Past?

Boston could build a dynamic back-end of the bullpen

Scott Neville | Apr 19, 2023

Should Red Sox Take Shot On All-Star Closer In Prime With Troubling Past? /

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Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox have put together a solid start to the season largely due to the long relievers that have unexpectedly shined so far.

That said, the back of the bullpen has been effective but remains thin. Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen has been nails and John Schreiber has been effective for the most part but has had control issues. Chris Martin is on the mend and Tanner Houck remains in the rotation for now.

For that reason, Kaleb Ort and Ryan Brasier have been placed in too many high-leverage spots.

If Boston is looking for a solution, they might find one internationally -- though the lockdown reliever comes with a troubled past.

Former Toronto Blue Jays and Houston Astros elite closer Roberto Osuna has not pitched in Major League Baseball since his Tommy John surgery in 2020 but has been nearly unhittable internationally.

Osuna started his comeback trail in the Mexican League, where he dominated. He then signed with the Chiba Lotte Marines of the Nippon Professional Baseball League in June.

Osuna posted a 4-1 record with 10 saves, nine holds, 0.91 ERA and a near-perfect 32-to-3 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 29 2/3 innings last season.

Now Osuna is with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, where he has not allowed a run in five innings.

While his dominance on the mound proves he is more than able to return to the big leagues from a talent perspective, Osuna comes with a dark past. The All-Star closer was suspended 75 games for domestic abuse in 2018.

Whether the Red Sox want him in the clubhouse or not is an issue in itself, but Osuna would be a fantastic addition from a pure talent perspective.

A bullpen featuring Jansen, Osuna, Schreiber and eventually Martin and Houck would give even the best offenses in baseball fits.

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Published Apr 19, 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