Bullpen Blues

Remember Shank bitching about the Boston Red Sox's bullpen for great stretches of the 2018 season, in order to create as much doubt about the team as possible? It's baaaack!

SEATTLE — It was long after midnight back in Boston when Red Sox clubhouse boss Tommy McLaughlin walked across the locker room and gently placed a game-used baseball on a shelf in the locker of Matt Barnes. When Barnes returned to his stall after recording his first major league save since 2017, the ball was resting — trophy-like, on a can of Skoal.

The Red Sox have a closer and his name is Matt Barnes.

Just don’t expect manager Alex Cora to call him that.
...
After the win, the manager was asked if he’s ready to name his closer and answered, “No. There’s no . . . I mean, we stay with the plan. We were watching the game and the game dictated for Barnes to be in the ninth. You saw Brasier getting up before. We’ve got people that can get people out in the eighth, ninth, seventh.’’

The Sox are defensive about this, almost defiant. Kimbrel and Joe Kelly were allowed to walk away after the World Series and nobody was brought in to replace them. It’s clear that the biggest question regarding the 2019 Red Sox is their bullpen. Cora and Dombrowski don’t see it that way.

Just like it was last year, and it worked out just fine for the Red Sox - just don't expect Shank to acknowledge that point.