The Boston Red Sox made their moves much earlier in the offseason when they signed David Price and Chris Young and traded for Craig Kimbrel and Carson Smith. However, the latest rumors indicate they aren't completely finished in such endeavors.
President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski might still be looking to add to the bullpen.
Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe reported earlier today that the Red Sox are "considering" free-agent left-handed relievers Neal Cotts and Franklin Morales.
The two veterans are still without a job due to this year's tremendously crowded class of free agents. The two logged solid campaigns in 2015 and can still provide an established veteran presence in an MLB bullpen. However, rumors and reports linking these relievers to potential jobs have been scant.
Morales went 4-2 with a 3.18, 1.16 WHIP and 41 strikeouts in 67 games (62-1/3 innings) last season with the Kansas City Royals while Cotts finished 1-0 with a 3.41 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 58 games (63-1/3 innings) with the Milwaukee Brewers and Minnesota Twins.
Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe spoke to executives and agents regarding the now-stagnant free-agent market at this point in the offseason and provided some insight as to why experienced players are still unsigned.
"It's just so slow out there. To think experienced players with significant track records are looking for work is a sign of the times where teams are spending big for elite players, but filling out their rosters with inexperienced, younger players that aren't as costly. It's been going on for a few years, but it reached its height this year. Some of this stuff doesn't make sense."
Although the club signed Price, who was the best available free agent on the market, the Red Sox still have some question marks regarding their rotation. Will Clay Buchholz stay healthy? Will Eduardo Rodriguez take a step forward or a step back in 2016? Was Rick Porcello's second half of 2015 a sign of positivity for 2016? Can Joe Kelly build off of his strong finish in 2015?
Because there's no guarantee, it could be best for the Red Sox to add more to their bullpen in the event a majority of their starters fail to pitch deep into games. Morales and Cotts are to capable arms that would help bolster the bullpen and take some pressure off the rotation.
And if the rotation ends up performing better than expected, it wouldn't hurt to have an extra left-handed reliever readily available.