Red Sox make right DFA decision on reliever about a year too late

Boston Red Sox fans have long been asking for reliever Ryan Brasier to get DFA’d or released. On Monday, they got their wish. 

For the past two seasons, you’d be hard-pressed to find a Boston Red Sox fan who wasn’t asking for the organization to move on from Ryan Brasier.

The 35-year-old right-handed reliever has been one of Alex Cora’s most consistently used arms out of the bullpen, making 68 appearances in the 2022 season and already seeing the mound 20 times in the 2023 campaign. The problem with that has been that Brasier has not been good when he’s been called upon in relief.

Last season, he finished the year with a 5.78 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and -0.8 WAR. And in his 20 starts this season, he’d already accrued a -0.3 WAR with a 7.29 ERA and 1.57 WHIP. Yet, Cora consistently turned to him, most recently giving him one outing against the Braves and two appearances against the Cardinals, three calls in five total games.

But after giving up three earned runs in 2.1 innings against St. Louis, Cora and the Red Sox have seen enough as the reliever was designated for assignment on Monday.

Red Sox DFA Ryan Brasier about a year after they should have

This isn’t about fans celebrating a player’s career potentially ending. However, this is the right decision from the Red Sox — but one that came far too late and highlights a bigger issue in Boston.

For all of the talk that Chaim Bloom made familiar this offseason about wisely upgrading the roster, it was the second straight year in which the front office neglected to adequately shake up the Red Sox bullpen. Sure, they signed Kenley Jansen but, outside of that, it’s still be a sore spot on the roster.

Brasier was the embodiment of that. The results clearly weren’t there, but he not only remained on the big-league roster, but continued to take the mound, despite the inconsistent and maddening results.

Perhaps this is a sign that things might be changing with the Red Sox, though. Yes, the leash was far too long with Brasier. But maybe Boston is now coming to realize this and can make a concerted effort, perhaps at the trade deadline, to change things around.