Well Sox fans looks like this years bullpen will be one of the strongest in all of baseball and maybe the deepest Red Sox ‘Pen ever. To put it another way, the Sox might have enough arms to weather Dice-K’s 5 inning starts each week. All of baseball knows Jonathan Papelbon will be taking the ball in the 9th inning. If you listen to Paps you’d have to believe he’s on to the greatest career ever for a closer and you can write him that pay check of $15 million and carve his Cooperstown plaque now.

Despite all of Papelbon’s desire to replace Schilling as the Sox resident foot in mouth quote machine, the man can pitch. He is that very rare reliever that shortens the game for his club. If you’re the opposing team you only have 7 or 8 innings to do your damage. That’s HUGE over the course of the long season but even more important come playoff time. In past seasons there has been some concern about innings 6-8 and the 9th on the days Pap’s can’t go.

In 2007, Hideki Okajima was as steady as could be and gave the Sox way more then they could have hoped for when they signed him as a the lesser known of imported arms from Japan. In 2008, there were ups and downs to be sure, but most pitchers have times in the season when they have a dead arm or something goes amiss with their arm slot or such. For a set up left hander to handle the 7th or 8th inning, the Sox could do much worse than Oki.

The right handed set up man last year was the young flame thrower Manny Delcarmen. While Manny had his ups and downs last year as well, he’s young, throws hard, and has a rubber arm. The late inning trio of Delcarmen, Okajima and Papelbon give the bullpen a solid foundation for late innings for the third year in a row and barring heath issues, into 2010.

Now here is where it gets interesting and the Sox bullpen separates itself from all the rest of baseball. Former lights out closer Takashi Saito has changed coasts to join the BoSox after arm trouble cost him most of last season. Because of his age, he opted for rehab over surgery that would have cost him this season. So far so good with Saito, and if he’s at anywhere near where he was in 2007 the Sox have a viable closer pitching in the 7th inning. Ramon Ramirez acquired from the Royals in the Coco Crisp trade is a reliever most teams would be lucky to have pitching in the 8th inning. Add to this Justin Masterson, who would be starting for just about any other team in baseball, you have a core to the bullpen that’s built to last and weather the dog days of August and September.
A bullpen is a tricky thing. A manager can almost never make the right call and heath is always a issue, but what for many teams is a weakness, is clearly a strength for the Sox.

Your Sox dirt Dog …