Dave Dombrowski did a masterful job of revamping a bullpen that was one of the worst in the league a year ago, acquiring closer Craig Kimbrel from the San Diego Padres and setup man Carson Smith from the Seattle Mariners in separate deals. They were to join incumbent closer Koji Uehara and Junichi Tazawa to provide the Red Sox with a formidable core of late-inning relievers. On paper this appeared to be one of the strongest bullpens in baseball, but this strength proved to be as flimsy as that sheet of paper, as all four pitchers are currently on the disabled list.
Red Sox: Who claims the closer seat?
