Sox Speak with Will Middlebrooks is a recurring content material sequence on NESN.com. Middlebrooks, a former Pink Sox participant, and present NESN analyst offers his perception and opinion on pertinent Pink Sox storylines all through the season. You possibly can learn the most recent tales from the sequence right here.
The Boston Pink Sox aren’t going to repair all of their bullpen points, which plagued the second half of their season, with only one transfer.
However going out and signing Tanner Scott actually would remedy loads of issues.
Scott became one of many premier relievers in baseball this 12 months and was named an All-Star for the primary time in his profession. He was linked to the Pink Sox on the commerce deadline, however the Miami Marlins ended up sending the 30-year-old southpaw to the San Diego Padres. Boston missed out on a chance then, however nonetheless has an opportunity to get Scott in a Pink Sox uniform as he’s set to his free company.
And including Scott to a Boston bullpen in want of main renovations is a straightforward transfer to get behind for Pink Sox 2013 World Sequence champion and NESN analyst Will Middlebrooks.
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“I might love that. For the bullpen, completely,” Middlebrooks instructed NESN.com. “He’s phenomenal. He was nice in Miami, clearly he’s in San Diego now. … He was most likely an important piece added to San Diego and to that bullpen that I believe is greatest constructed for a postseason run.”
Scott dazzled for a second straight season after a median first six years of his profession. He posted a sterling 1.75 ERA in 2024 with a career-high 22 saves to go together with a 1.125 WHIP and 84 strikeouts in 72 innings.
The Pink Sox want that kind of shutdown arm — it’s a plus Scott is left-handed, too — within the back-end of the bullpen, particularly as a result of their woes in that division. Boston recorded the second-most blown saves in MLB with 31 and led all groups in blown saves following the All-Star break with 18.
That left a bitter style for the Pink Sox fascinated about what might have been and with Scott, issues may very well be totally different subsequent season. Pink Sox supervisor Alex Cora might deploy him as a better or a high-leverage reliever within the later innings.
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That versatility would serve a Boston bullpen properly that would look a lot totally different in 2025. Kenley Jansen and Chris Martin are ticketed totally free company — Middlebrooks wish to see Boston re-sign Martin — and Liam Hendriks is predicted to contribute after lacking this whole season as he recovered from Tommy John surgical procedure.
“(Scott) can provide you something from like a seventh-inning leverage arm or he generally is a nearer,” Middlebrooks stated. “Flexibility, having the ability to pitch in several roles, particularly as soon as the postseason will get right here (is vital). I’m not getting forward of myself with this Pink Sox staff for subsequent 12 months, however you get to vital video games in September. The Pink Sox have been taking part in vital video games in August this 12 months making an attempt to remain alive. They performed up till the final week of the season the place video games did matter — they weren’t mathematically eradicated.
“However what number of video games did they blow, the place you’re wanting again saying, ‘Man, if they only performed .500 baseball, had they not blown even half of these video games within the second half, they might have had an opportunity on the postseason.’”
Scott might very properly be the lacking piece to the Pink Sox bullpen and forestall any what-if pondering from occurring subsequent season.
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