Phillips Valdez of the Boston Red Sox. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)
The Boston Red Sox have made great strides in upgrading a bullpen that was among the worst in baseball last season but they still need to put the finishing touches on finalizing the group they intend to take with them to Opening Day next week.
Boston is expected to stack their roster with 14 pitchers, leaving nine relievers to join the five-man rotation. Seven relievers are virtual locks to open the season on the major league roster, provided that their health remains intact.