Time has been kind to the Boston Red Sox bullpen. As the weeks go by, it becomes clearer that the team’s abysmal pitching of 2019 was predicated mostly on a starting rotation allergic to quality starts. Relievers were called on early and often in games, and by June much of the bullpen was gasping while operating on fumes.
While starters were falling short on quality starts, the bullpen suffered from a lack of quality depth. The latter gets pinned on former Red Sox President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski, who never adequately addressed the losses (or addition by subtraction as borne out in 2019) of closer Craig Kimbrel and middle reliever Joe Kelly to free agency.