When a team’s biggest weakness is the last reliever out of the bullpen, it’s usually a sign of a pretty good team. Most of the time, if you’re using the back of your bullpen, you’re either up or down by a significant margin. The Red Sox have been great at finding times to use the back of the bullpen, but those pitchers haven’t held up their end of the bargain.
Jorge Alcala, Chris Murphy, and now Isaiah Campbell have all struggled late in games, forcing Garrett Whitlock and Aroldis Chapman to make
appearances they otherwise shouldn’t have. Most recently, Isaiah Campbell’s late-game blow-up brought Chapman into the game, causing the closer to be unavailable the next day. The Marlins scored three runs in the ninth, and the Red Sox lost the game.
Fortunately, it’s easy to find a new mop-up man. Let’s take a look at some potential options.
Payton Tolle/David Sandlin
There’s been some speculation about the Red Sox promoting a prospect to help down the stretch. David Sandlin and Payton Tolle were recently promoted to Triple-A Worcester. Sandlin has been pitching out of the bullpen, while Tolle has continued to pitch as a starter. I won’t pretend to be an expert on either, but Tolle certainly has the fastball characteristics to get by, while Sandlin also has premium velocity.
The pro of using a prospect is an early look at how they’ll look in a major league setting. They also might be able to pitch their way into more high-leverage opportunities. The downside is that their innings will be unpredictable, which probably isn’t ideal in terms of development.
Zack Kelly
Zack Kelly won’t be a popular option because he hasn’t performed well at the major league level for quite some time. Since returning from injury, however, he has a 1.54 ERA for Worcester in eight games, including multiple multi-inning outings. His changeup has been excellent in Worcester, a significant development because the pitch was once a solid weapon for him, but was hit hard this season. His fastball shape is also slightly altered, featuring additional vertical movement and less horizontal. There’s a saying about how many times you can fool a person, which might apply to Kelly, but he can’t be much worse than what they have.
Connor Brogdon
Connor Brogdon has an ERA north of five and was designated for assignment by the Los Angeles Angels, but bear with me for a second. In 2021 and 2022, Brogdon was legitimately good for the Philadelphia Phillies. He was okay in 2023 as well, but was DFA’d after a rough start to 2024. This season hasn’t gone great for Brogdon, but he’s pitching for the Angels, who don’t exactly have the best track record of pitching development.
The fix for Brogdon seems fairly straightforward to me. He’s been great against lefties, primarily using a changeup and fastball, as well as a cutter to steal strikes. The changeup is really good; it has a 105 Stuff+ and a 15.1% swinging strike rate against lefties. The fastball is solid as well at 95 mph with over seven feet of extension. He isn’t striking lefties out at a high rate, but the results overall have been solid.
Against righties, he hasn’t been as successful. The changeup and four-seam each perform well, although the fastball does have some concerning contact quality stats. The issue is the cutter. He uses it about 20% of the time against righties, mostly early in counts. The thing gets crushed. Righties are hitting .357 against it with a hard hit rate of 50%. My advice to Brogdon would be to stop throwing it. He’s always thrown it, but it’s getting less vertical movement than ever and doesn’t miss barrels. Saying “don’t throw cutters” isn’t a magic fix, but it’s a low strike pitch for a pitcher who has had issues with walks. It’s worth a shot.
Brogdon is out of options, so he’ll need a spot on the 40-man if he’s claimed off waivers. Isaiah Campbell’s spot is an easy one to carve out, though.
Paul Blackburn
Another pitcher recently designated for assignment, and a potential innings-eater, is Paul Blackburn. Blackburn has spent most of the season on the injured list and has only pitched 23 2/3 innings in 2025. His ERA, like Brogdon’s, is over five, though his FIP is much lower at 4.38. His most recent outing was a five-inning, two-run performance in relief for the Mets. He’s not “good,” and he’s also not “reliable,” but he throws a bunch of pitches, doesn’t walk hitters, and can pitch multiple innings. For the last guy out of the bullpen, you could certainly do a lot worse. Remember, we’re not looking for someone to close game seven of the World Series, just throw an inning or three in a blowout.
