The Red Sox Aren't Done Yet, So Here Are Some Relievers They Could Add Before The Season Starts

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Last week, after trading Andrew Benintendi, acquiring Franchy Cordero and signing Marwin Gonzalez, it seemed as though the Red Sox were ready to put a stamp on their offseason and head into spring training with what they've got. The Athletic put a column out that ranked every teams' offseason and the Red Sox finished stronger than most would likely given them credit for with the eighth best offseason. The moves weren't sexy, but they were solid. World Series solid? No, I don't think anyone would go that far. But somewhat competitive and watchable solid? For sure.

The same day that the Red Sox signed Gonzalez, Lou Merloni tweeted that he had heard the Red Sox weren't done. We were on the same wavelength in thinking that this doesn't necessarily mean that Boston was still in on Jackie Bradley Jr., especially considering that he's a Boras client who is reportedly looking for four years. I think we've all learned better than to second guess Boras' ability to get his clients what they're in search of, but it would surprise me quite a bit if Bradley ended up getting a four-year commitment from a team at this point now that we're in mid-February and teams are rolling into spring training prepared to roll with what they've got.

Sure, the Red Sox made that rare trade with the Yankees to bring Adam Ottavino on board to bolster their bullpen, but they could use a little more help in the relief department. I figured Lou's tweet meant that the Red Sox still had their ear to the ground on the reliever market, and then our boy RedSoxStats tweeted this morning that that might be the case. So, with that in mind, let's take a look at some of the relievers that are still out there on the free agent market that the Red Sox could look to sign before the season starts.

Brandon Workman -- Ah, yes. Old friend Brandon Workman. He seems like an obvious choice, right? Red Sox lifer, minus his brief albeit disastrous tenure with the Phillies after being dealt alongside Heath Hembree for Nick Pivetta and Connor Seabold. I don't think it can be overstated how bad Workman was once he got to Philadelphia last year. He was statistically one of the worst relievers in baseball after the trade, so it would be an all-time fleece move if the Red Sox were to then sign him right back, while getting to keep Pivetta and Seabold on top of that.

Despite being horrendous in an abbreviated 2020 season, Workman was outstanding for Boston in 2019. The righty reliever struck out 104 batters in 71.2 innings that year with a 1.88 ERA and 1.03 WHIP. His numbers, across the board, were better than Aroldis Chapman's, who won Reliever of the Year in 2019. I've talked to some guys who have seen Workman throwing this offseason and they said his stuff is back to being as nasty as it was in 2019. It would make a ton of sense if a reunion took place, but it all comes down to the asking price of which we do not know at the moment. Time's running out, though, so he may not be in a position to ask for much more than what teams are offering. The Red Sox should be one of them inquiring.

Trevor Rosenthal -- This one is probably the most intriguing one to me out of the relievers we'll talk about here. Rosenthal turns 31 in May, but still features a blazing fastball that was averaging north of 98mph in each of the final three months of last season. Between the Royals and Padres last season, for which the latter he threw ten scoreless innings, the right-hander posted a 1.90 ERA, 0.85 WHIP and 38 strikeouts in 23.2 innings. Sign me up for that any day.

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Shane Greene -- The 32-year-old Shane Greene had spent 2018 and parts of 2019 closing out games for the Detroit Tigers before being dealt to the Braves, and although he wasn't given the opportunity to close, he was still a very effective relief pitcher for Atlanta last year. The 2019 All Star struck out 21 batters in 27.2 innings with a 2.70 ERA and 1.12 WHIP. If the Red Sox signed Greene, I don't think he'd immediately be slotted back into the closer role that he served in Detroit, but it would be nice to have someone in the backend of the bullpen who had that kind of experience and was successful at it once upon a time.

Jeremy Jeffress -- This one is more of a roll of the dice-type signing if it were to come to fruition, but Jeremy Jeffress is a 33-year-old right-hander who was one of my favorite relievers in baseball to watch in 2018. Perhaps because he was so heavily depended on that year, that might be the reason for his struggles the following year, as the Brewers trotted Jeffress out of the bullpen 73 times that season. In 2018, the righty had a sparkling 1.29 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and struck out 89 batters in 76.2 innings. Since 2018, though, Jeffress found himself getting released by the Brewers at the end of an abysmal 2019 season, before signing with the Cubs and posting a 1.54 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, and 17 strikeouts in 23.1 innings in 2020. After battling shoulder and hip injuries in 2019, Jeffress had a clean bill of health for the Cubs last year and would be an interesting fit with Boston.

Tyler Clippard -- Tyler Clippard, who turned 36 yesterday, has played for 10 big league teams throughout his 14-year major league career. And even in the latter stage of his career, he's still an effective reliever with his most recent stop being with the Minnesota Twins in 2020 where he had a 2.77 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, and 26 strikeouts in 26 innings. It wouldn't be the sexiest of signings, but Clippard still has something left in the tank and could prove to be quite valuable in building the bridge to whomever becomes the eighth and ninth inning guys in that Boston bullpen.

Some honorable mentions here -- Brad Peacock is still out there. Former longtime Cubs righty Pedro Strop is, too, although he's up there in age like Clippard. Speaking of up there in age, 39-year-old Oliver Perez is still looking for a job. All that being said, I would be very happy with a Workman reunion and adding someone like Rosenthal. Make it happen, Chaim.