There’s a void to be filled at the back end of the Boston Red Sox bullpen with Craig Kimbrel hitting free agency. Bringing back the flame-throwing closer remains a possibility but the team will still explore other options. One direction they could pivot toward for a younger, cheaper and a potentially better ninth-inning solution is Seattle Mariners closer, Edwin Diaz.
The 24-year old is coming off a career year in which he led the majors with 57 saves while posting a sparkling 1.96 ERA, 0.79 WHIP, and a 15.2 K/9 ratio. He’s a tremendous bargain in his pre-arbitration eligible years and won’t hit free agency until 2023.