Looking at the WooSox bullpen options for 2024
What a difference an offseason brings with a new man calling the shots.
The pitching staff in Worcester had a roller coaster of a season in 2023. With Bryan Mata missing the season with an injury and multiple call-ups between Brandon Walter, Chris Murphy, Joe Jacques, Kyle Barraclough, & more, the pitching staff was constantly changing last season. Let’s not forget to mention a weird notable fact about the 2023 WooSox pitching staff when they carried 7 left-handers at one point.
Let’s start with the guys coming back from last season.
The locks to start the year in Worcester barring any trades are Justin Hagenman, Luis Guererro, AJ Politi, Cam Booser, Chase Shugart, and Franklin German. None of these guys are current 40-man roster members so there is no risk of DFA’s from this group. Politi Shugart, and Booser were with the team all of last season and will be back with the group. Hagenman came over via trade and Guerrero was a late season call-up after dominating Double-A. German came back to the Red Sox system after being DFA’d by the Reds last season and recovering from an injury.
Let’s take a peek at the guys who are on the 40-man roster who are options to start the year in Worcester.
Cooper Criswell came over in the Red Sox first free agent signing of the offseason. Isaiah Campbell and Greg Weissert came over in trades and will start the year in the WooSox bullpen. That leaves holdovers Zack Kelly, Joe Jacques, Brandon Walter, and Chris Murphy. We saw both Walter and Murphy start games and be used out of the bullpen last season so it’s still up in the air which avenue the Red Sox decide to take with the two lefties.
There are a few possibilities on the Double-A roster last season that have a chance to start the year in Worcester.
Ryan Zeferjahn comes to mind as the top option to snag a spot to start the year in Triple-A. With a good Spring Training showing, one could see names like Alex Hoppe, Christopher Troye, Brendan Cellucci, or Theo Denlinger make that jump as well.
The bottom line is, Craig Breslow has done an outstanding job acquiring good depth in this spot this offseason thru trades and free agency. There a multiple guys in the Triple-A bullpen who bring valuable MLB experience when the inevitable injuries occur during the season.
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