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Red Sox may look to bolster bullpen through draft

By Richard Cuthbertson

May 31, 2016; Baltimore, MD, USA; Boston Red Sox manager John Farrell (53) looks on to the field during the second inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
May 31, 2016; Baltimore, MD, USA; Boston Red Sox manager John Farrell (53) looks on to the field during the second inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Boston Red Sox need to upgrade the bullpen and they need to do it sooner rather than later.

The Boston Red Sox sit atop the American League East but they do so on the strength of the the major’s best offense, scoring an average of six runs per game. Outside of surprising knuckleballer Steven Wright, who sports a 2.45 ERA, no Boston starter has an ERA under 4.00. And the bullpen has been worse — they have recorded 10 of the team’s 22 losses and have an ERA just south of 4.00 themselves. The Red Sox team ERA over the last week is 7.00 and when the offense is as good as theirs is, you can’t waste opportunities by having your bullpen blow games.

How will they address this problem? Teams this early in the season will be reluctant to trade bullpen pieces due to having 2 wildcard spots. A definite possibility exists through next week’s MLB player draft. The Red Sox have the No. 12 overall pick and reports are that they have their eyes on University of Louisville’s closer Zack Burdi. According to Baseball America, he “could go virtually straight to Boston to set up Craig Kimbrel for the pennant drive.”

Burdi is a 6’3″ right hander who has spent the last 2 seasons as the Cardinals closer. Scouts say that Burdi possesses a fastball between 96-99 MPH and has topped out at 101. He also features an above average slider as well as a plus changeup, which is the pitch that is believed to be able to get him to the majors sooner than other college pitchers.

One of the other reasons Burdi is believed to be major league ready is his impeccable control. This season at Louisville he has just seven walks in 27 innings pitched.  His control, age (turned 21 in March), plus-stuff and the Red Sox increasing need to shore up their bullpen, make Burdi a very interesting option for Boston as the No. 12 pick next week.

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