It isn’t any secret the Red Sox could use another starting pitcher. They have lacked a genuine No. 1 starter since the first day of spring training.
But have you seen the bullpen lately?
Other than 40-year-old closer Koji Uehara, remarkably consistent setup man Junichi Tazawa and, depending on the matchups, right-hander Alexi Ogando and lefty specialist Tommy Layne, manager John Farrell doesn’t have many trustworthy options.
And so, if the Sox are going to be serious contenders for the AL East crown, they know they must add at least one more reliever. In fact, a case can be made that the bullpen represents an even more urgent need than the rotation.