Reliever trade ideas.

I prefer to look here for relief help. Jerez sounds legit as a lefty sitting 96-98. Buttrey sounds legit as well.

news.soxprospects.com/2018/06/scouting-scratch-high-minors-relief.html

I see multiple posters labeling guys like Matt Barnes, Joe Kelly, and Heath Hembree as mediocre. While I agree that Heath Hembree is really nothing more than a sixth inning guy, I think all of these guys are being used out of their ideal places. This is just my lowly opinion but I think Joe Kelly has been fine, and Matt Barnes shouldn't be the 8th inning guy, but hes surely a perfectly fine 7th inning reliever. Guys are saying that they are no Zach Britton, they're no Kelvin Herrera etc etc. Of course not, those are Elite established closers and not every team can line Up 3 or 4 elite established closers in the bullpen. It's confusinng because I'd like someone to explain to me what exactly Joe Kelly has done wrong this year? Every team around the league blows leads, but it doesn't seem like that has been a problem with this team despite the fact that Tyler Thornburg and Carson Smith aren't with the team anyway.

I hate to be the guy that says look at our record, but look at our record. We are above the middle of the pack in blown saves and blown leads, ahead of some teams with "Elite bullpens". We are at the top of the Heat and Bullpen era + batting average allowed. Of course, ideally it would be great to have jeurys Familia followed by Zach Britton, and having Kimbrel close it out but it's wrong to suggest those guys at the expense of what our guys are doing at the moment. Which from all the numbers, and the record looks to be like they're doing just fine as it is. Maybe add a quality lefty.

Assuming Steven Wright continues to pitch near the level he has to date, than the starting pitching for the Red Sox down the stretch and into the playoffs will be as good as anyone's. That should help the bullpen in all the typical ways, but also as far as the arms that find themselves coming out of the pen in the post-season. You're looking at what you currently have, plus potentially adding a (hopefully/eventually) healthy Tyler Thornburg and Drew Pomeranz, as well as an odd man out of the rotation Eduardo Rodriguez. I'm not sure the Bullpen is the biggest need if they have a chance to run this group out there in the post-season (though I certainly understand the two question marks still rehabbing)...

Kimbrel
Kelly
Barnes
Thornburg
Rodriguez
Pomeranz
Hembree
Workman

I still think there is the possibility of adding someone, but I'm not sure they break the bank to bring in a second closer type reliever. If Pomeranz can get healthy and showcase velocity out of the bullpen, Rodriguez continues to pitch well and Thornburg (and he was throwing really well prior to his last outing) gets back close to what he was they're in pretty good shape. I think the bigger concern is adding offense off the bench or lengthening the line-up.

I'd much rather see them zero in on Realmuto. He's affordable for Boston, would be here for the next three years and would dramatically lengthen the line-up and upgrade offense at the C position. While he's affordable for Boston, he's getting expensive for Miami as he's into his arb years. Perhaps they'd be interested in a cheaper alternative in Vazquez, along with a former top-prospect in Swihart or a back-end starter in Johnson and a couple of non-top four prospects...

That is the trade that, too me, can turn this team into a really deep and well-rounded favorite. If you add Realmuto and, eventually Pedroia, then suddenly a line-up with a few holes at the bottom turns into a balanced group. With JBJ being the only real question mark. Add Pedroia and Realmuto to the bottom third and imagine what type of run production Betts would then be capable of at the top...

Wilson Ramos is down with a shoulder injury? I thought he played yesterday.

I thought the Sox were at 234 million and couldn't spend much more than 3 million before hitting the limit?

I honestly think the Sox do ultimately come away with Brach.

I like him, but I don't really trust him.

I think his control desserts him at times and watching relievers go 3-2 constantly on batters drives me nuts. I'd prefer Soria who has better control, but he might be too expensive.

Actually I prefer Britton more the most as far as relievers go, but I think his $ is too high for them to get and stay under.

It stinks that the Sox might lose guys like Buttrey and/or Poyner and/or Shawaryn. I think Poyner can be a very useful piece in the Sox pen starting next season (I mean by not getting jerked up and down a bunch of times) and Shawayrn, I think, is better than a lot of people think. I hold out hope he can be a mid-rotation starter. I actually like him better than Beeks, who I also like, and think could be a Porcello replacement down the road or a very useful piece out of the bullpen.

No sorry, I thought you were talking about AJ Ramos from this thread. My apologies.

Should we be talking about Pomeranz here too? He’s had success in a relief role albeit a few years ago. If Thronburg can get back we maybe okay here.

Yeap all of this is right. I'm honestly hoping that Poyner actually stays in his next recall back to the majors. He actually could profile as a really good option, I'd think.

I have no faith in Workman, Hembree, Johnson, Velazquez, or anything else they have at AAA this year (this includes Thornburg) in high leverage.

Maybe Pomeranz has a outside decent shot of being good if his velocity rises out of the bullpen, but Pomeranz isn't exactly a strike thrower to begin with even when he's right.

The question for me is if the Sox don't need one bullpen arm, I'm asking myself if they need two outside of the organization bullpen arms.

Yes, 90. Thanks for the correction.

I don't necessarily disagree. In a perfect world you get an impact lefty and an impact righty with both pitchers above Joe Kelly on the bullpen totem pole.

But in reality, how do you do that without depleting your farm system and more likely going over the luxury tax limit?

It seems to me the expiring free agents that are the best cost the most $.

And a lot of the ones that don't aren't necessarily better than Barnes and Kelly.

I mean, I'd love to see Britton as the late inning lefty and Soria or Familia as the late inning righty. I'm talking both high leverage options in front of Kimbrel knocking Kelly and Barnes down and Hembree out.

But I don't see how they afford two of that ilk, let alone the prospect cost.

As it is, as much as I want to see the Sox upgrade the pen, I do worry about who goes back in a deal. I know there's really no untouchables, but we all have our binkies, or at least I do.

I think the #1 candidate to get traded for a reliever will be a guy I really hate to see the Sox give up - Mike Shawaryn. I mean if you're another team dangling one of the best relievers out there, who would you ask for?

There are 3 upper level candidates you figure would be targets of other teams, Beeks, Poyner, and Shawaryn. Honestly I'd hate to give up any of those three.

I'd rather see guys like Hembree, Johnson, Swihart (if they refuse to catch him), Buttrey, and Jerez go from the upper levels.

I also like Ockimey and hope they hang onto him, but he could go. I'm less attached to the lottery type arms like Hernandez. Although I would hope the Sox hold onto Mata - I want to see if his control issues are now a thing or if it's a temporary type of thing.

So for a reliever, I'm not as concerned about do the Sox have players to make a deal work as I am concerned about them thinning out too much of the upper levels as I do believe Shawaryn and Beeks are candidates to replace Porcello should he leave after next season and I think Poyner could become a mainstay of the bullpen starting next season.

I ultimately think the bigger issue is that the Sox run up against the luxury tax limit.

And they do have other needs as well, although they shouldn't be as costly. I think they need to beef up their bench, a complement for JBJ could be useful (I'd like Adam Jones for that type of role, but he's too expensive and probably wouldn't come anyways and no I wouldn't trade JBJ for Jones outright), and if they ever would dare, I'd like to see them deal Leon plus some pieces to rent Wilson Ramos.

Yeah the Sox aren't going over the 237 mark.

I'm holding out hope for Poyner to come up and be a impact guy. I'm also hoping that the Sox trade Hembree to bring in someone with more upside.

You could gamble and take Zach Britton, but his fastball is down 3 mph (so far this year). He also makes a little under 6 million AAV wise the rest of the way.

You would be gambling that he'd find his velocity later in the year as he gains strength, but again a gamble given his Achilles injury ealier this season.