Justin Slaten talks about veteran Red Sox reliever being the team's 'dad of the bullpen' in 2024
Red Sox reliever Justin Slaten went from Rule 5 draft pick last winter to a key high-leverage reliever out of the bullpen in 2024.
Slaten was excellent in his rookie season, posting a 2.93 ERA, 2.61 FIP, and 1.01 WHIP with 58 strikeouts and two saves in 55 1/3 innings (44 games).
The 27-year-old was a key member of the Red Sox bullpen, which Slaten described as being a “tight-knit unit,” and attributes a big part of his success last season to veteran Chris Martin.
“I mean, he was, in all my years of baseball, I think I was getting some of the most beneficial stuff that I've gotten was just from watching him and being around him and learning how to pitch, how to handle the big moments, the pressure, and this and that,” said Slaten while on the “To the Show We Go” Baseball Podcast, presented by Beyond the Monster.
Slaten learned how to be a good teammate and learn to be a “leader without really trying to be a leader.”
“I mean, you ask anybody, ‘Hey, do you think that Chris Martin wants to be a captain on scene?,” said Slaten. “The answer is going to be no. He would tell you no. I would argue that he had some of the most influence in the locker room just because of the respect that people had for him, but also the respect that he had for other people.
“I mean, having a guy like him that just kind of kept everything together. I mean, he was the glue, and when we didn't have him, things were kind of tough because it's just you're missing “this presence that you have in the bullpen where he was just kind of like, in a way, the dad, we would kind of call him at times, like the dad of the bullpen, where it was like just able to keep everybody together being on the road.”
Boston has added other veterans to the bullpen for next season in left-handers Aroldis Chapman, Justin Wilson, and Jovani Morán. The Red Sox have expressed interest in bringing back Martin, but it’s not clear if the club has had recent talks with the righty.
The 38-year-old reliever pitched well in his two years in the backend of the Red Sox bullpen. During his time in Boston, Martin posted a 2.16 ERA in 100 games with five saves. His best season came in 2023, where he recorded a 1.05 ERA in 55 games, picking up a Cy Young vote in the process.
“Obviously it’s pretty clear the value he had,” chief baseball officer Craig Breslow said to reporters at the GM Meetings. “We saw that when he was pitching and when we didn’t have him available to pitch. And so we know we have some work to do in kind of rebuilding the bullpen and obviously could see there being a fit there.”
Martin missed some time in 2024 with right elbow inflammation and anxiety-related issues. He hurled just 44 1/3 innings while striking out 50 batters and walking only three. The veteran only walked 11 hitters during his two seasons with the Red Sox.
“He’s earned the right to get here (to free agency), and we need to figure out how all the pieces come together, but guys who can go months and months between walks are valuable,” Breslow said.
If Martin doesn’t return to the Red Sox, it’s clear Slaten will pass on what he learned to others next season and beyond. With the Red Sox rebuilding their bullpen, Slaten has a chance to possibly win the closer’s job in 2025. He’ll face competition from other in-house candidates in Chapman and returning veteran Liam Hendriks.
