Cora debates the possibility of an all-righthanded Red Sox bullpen

FORT MYERS, Fla. – If there’s been a hallmark of the Alex Cora Era in the first few months, it’s been a willingness to experiment with vastly different ideas when it comes to bullpen management.

First, Cora revealed that he intended to use closer Craig Kimbrel in high-leverage situations other than the ninth inning. Next came his announcement that rather than designate a single eighth-inning set-up man, the team would use a rotation of as many as four relievers as a bridge to Kimbrel, based on matchups and availability.

On Wednesday morning, Cora was it again, entertaining the notion of going without a single lefty reliever in the bullpen.



“I’m a big believer that if you get people out, you get people out,’’ said Cora. “Just like if can hit lefties and hit righties. If you can do that, you’ll play. Yes, there’s some strategy involved, especially in the National League when you have a lefty and you’ve got the pitcher and you think about who you want to pinch-hit and they get a lefty up to face him. But at the end of the day, the goal is to get 27 outs in a nine-inning game.

The Red Sox were strangely quiet with a free agent market chock-full of lefty options, including Jake McGee, Mike Minor and Tony Watson. It never appeared to be much of a priority, a seemingly unusual stance for a team which lost free agent Fernando Abad and returns only Robby Scott from last year’s bullpen.

Scott, whose story of reaching the big leagues after several years in independent ball is an inspiring one, was actually very effective as the team’s situational lefty last year, limiting opposing lefty hitters to a .121 batting average and a .527 OPS.

But despite his success against lefties, Scott isn’t guaranteed a spot. Nor is Bobby Poyner, who, building on a strong minor league season split between Single and Double A, has opened eyes by retiring 15-of-16 hitters faced this spring.

Cora isn't locked into preconceived notions about relievers.

“If you can them out, you can get them out,'' he said. "It doesn’t matter. I’m not saying this is going to happen with this team. If you have to carry four lefties, you carry them as long as they can get people out. If you don’t have to carry them, then you don’t carry them. If your righties can get righties and lefties out, you do that. It’s just a matter of who can get people out.’’

Asked if, in an ideal scenario, the Sox would prefer to carry at least one lefty, Cora said: “No, it doesn’t matter to me.’’

Scott has options remaining, and could be the Pawtucket-to-Boston shuttle throughout the season, as the Sox move pitchers back and forth for optimum roster management.

It helps, too, that Cora knows that he has a few righties who have been very effective against lefties. Kimbrel limited lefties to a .178 batting average while Joe Kelly allowed lefties a .222 batting average. And the return to full health for Carson Smith, whose sinker-slider mix has kept lefties to a .198 batting average over his career to go along with a .522 OPS, provides yet one more option for Cora and pitching coach Dana LeVangie.

Again, Cora isn’t promising an all-righty pen. But he’s open to the idea, part of a pattern by which he’s demonstrated a willingness to think unconventionally when it comes to his bullpen.

"You have to patch (together) 27 outs, somehow, someway,'' concluded Cora. "We'll take the best guy in those situations. That's the way I see it.''