McAdam: Red Sox again prioritize rotation over bullpen

Last winter, the Red Sox chose to spend their energy and resources on upgrading their starting rotation rather than their bullpen.

Now, at 2019 All-Star break, they're apparently doing it again.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported that the Sox are "pushing to add a starting pitcher'' and would "prefer to act sooner rather than later.''

Joel Sherman of the New York Post, meanwhile, reported that the Sox are one of several teams having discussions with the New York Mets about Zach Wheeler.

There's little doubt that the Sox could stand some improvement with rotation, which is ranked seventh in the A.L. with a 4.70 ERA. Moreover, the Sox have gotten quality starts in just over a third of their games (33-of-90), a total that has them ninth in the league.

But the case could be made that the Sox are more desperate for help in the bullpen rather than the rotation.



The Sox are tied with Seattle for the most number of blown saves in the league with 18. And the Sox have already lost more games (seven) in which they led after seven innings than they did in all of 2018.

For now, however, the focus appears to be squarely on acquiring a starter.

That's likely the result of the decision made last week to utilize Nathan Eovaldi in relief, at least in the short-term. Eovaldi has been sidelined since late April after first undergoing a surgical procedure to remove loose bodies in his right elbow. His rehab was then complicated by a case of biceps tendinitis.

Eovaldi contributed mightily out of the bullpen last October -- including a six-inning stint in Game 3 of the World Series -- but has had limited experience pitching in relief during the regular season. He does not own a major league save.

Moving Eovaldi to a relief role will enable him to return to the mound sooner, since he need not build up his arm strength to throw 90-100 pitches in a starting role. In the bullpen, he can make an almost immediate contribution. The Sox and Eovaldi have not ruled out his return to the rotation later this season.

In the meantime, the Sox have a gaping hole in the fifth spot in their rotation. Brian Johnson, who gave the Sox one good outing in his two efforts, is out for an unspecified time with a non-baseball medical condition. And in the 17 starts filled since Eovaldi was placed on the IL, the Sox have exactly one quality start.

It hasn't helped that with the exception of David Price, the Red Sox rotation, in which the Sox invested almost $90 million, hasn't come close to performing up to expectations. Chris Sale has a 4.04 ERA; Eduardo Rodriguez's ERA is 4.65; and Rick Porcello's is 5.33.

When the Sox decided to focus on the rotation last off-season, it seemed to run counter to a larger trend in the game. In recent years, starters have eaten up fewer innings and teams have put more of an emphasis on their relief core.

But despite losing closer Craig Kimbrel and set-up man Joe Kelly to free agency, the Sox stood pat with their bullpen, reasoning that re-signing Eovaldi would give them five established starters, each capable of giving the team a chance to win nearly every turn.

However, with the starters struggling to achieve consistency and regularly falling short of six innings, the burden has fallen on the bullpen with predictable results.

In June, for instance, the Sox turned to Matt Barnes 15 times (in 27) games, resulting in a 9.69 ERA. Marcus Walden was similarly overworked, with 14 appearances and a 6.75 ERA.

The Red Sox have limited resources with which to deal - both in terms of prospects and payroll -- which makes the emphasis on starters even more curious since it's likely that market will be more costly than the one for relief help.

And the mere suggestion that the Sox are prioritizing starting pitching over bullpen would seem to suggest that they have doubts about Eovaldi returning to the rotation before the end of the season. What would the Sox do with someone like Wheeler if Eovaldi is ready to return to starting duty?

But that, for now, is the path the Sox have chosen -- rotation over bullpen.

Again.