Is Red Sox Nation ready for Larry Andersen to walk through that bullpen door?
For those steeped or not in Red Sox history, Andersen was added to the roster on 8/30/1990 for additional bullpen help as the Red Sox made the push – eventually successful – for the division title. Andersen did just as expected, appearing in 15 games and posting a 1.23 ERA during the regular season, before losing a playoff game as the Sox were swept away by Oakland. Andersen then became a free agent and was gone.
The price for Andersen was a player who the Red Sox valued, but was expendable in the minor league menagerie and that was Jeff Bagwell – who will eventually be in the Hall of Fame.