FanPost

Does Boston really need another Joel Hanrahan stint?

Today it was widely reported that Joel Hanrahan was in comeback talks with several teams, including the Red Sox.

I'll be the first to admit that last year, when we acquired Hanrahan, I was thrilled. This guy was easily a top five relief pitcher in the league when we snagged him, and I thought that anything would be a major upgrade over Alfredo Aceves. Buy after a great first week, things began to come apart quickly. He struggled on opening day against Baltimore in 2013, giving up a home run to Adam Jones, and then against Tampa later that week, he couldn't get an out, leaving the field to loud boos in three straight appearances. He eventually had to be shut down to get Tommy John, and now he supposedly is in great shape and ready to go.

And quite frankly, while Hanrahan has shone from time to time, the numbers aren't really there. He has a pedestrian career 1.4 WHIP, and his ERA in nine appearances last year was 9.82. He had 76 saves from 2011-12 but only converted 4 in nine appearances last year before he was hurt. While his career with the Red Sox was extremely brief, there is really nothing there that says we need to sign this guy! Not to mention the fact that this guy had no spring and we have no idea if the injury is what caused his issues last April in the first place.

If there is one strength for this ball club it's the bullpen. Koji is still in last year's form and Edward Mujica has been a very pleasant surprise, and a very viable replacement for Uehara should anything happen. Miller and Tazawa are great back end guys and you won't find a better long-man in the league right now than Craig Breslow. The bullpen ERA is sitting at 3.25 right now, which is good enough for third in the American League. The Pen is not to blame for the sluggish April. The blame can be placed on not having the full lineup available, the cold weather, and especially in my opinion, the back end of the rotation. I think that adding Hanrahan to the mix would be a complete shot in the dark, and there is no need for the front office to be that desperate. Not yet.