Ex-Red Sox Hurler Vaulted Into Closer By Committee Role With National League Foe

Boston would have been wise to keep the veteran in their bullpen

Scott Neville | May 21, 2024

Apr 28, 2021; New York City, New York, USA; Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Adam Ottavino (0) pitches against the New York Mets during the eighth inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports / Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

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Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox will have a chance to reclaim third place in the American League East on Tuesday night when they take on the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field.

The Red Sox have not been stellar but have exceeded most people's expectations, largely due to their unexpectedly elite pitching staff.

While pitching is far from an issue in Boston, the former regime did seemingly make one mistake when they let a high-leverage reliever walk in free agency. That veteran has now been promoted into a key role for the New York Mets with closer Edwin Diaz struggling mightily to open the 2024 campaign.

"Mets are believed likely to close by committee with (Adam) Ottavino and possibly (Reed) Garrett, (Jorge) Lopez, (Jake) Diekman and others until Diaz regains his confidence (they’re hopeful it won’t be long)," the New York Post's Jon Heyman reported Sunday.

Ottavino has a 2.95 ERA with a 26-to-6 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .167 batting average against and a 0.93 WHIP in 18 1/3 innings for the Mets.

The 38-year-old has a 2.66 ERA in 150 appearances with the Mets since departing from Boston following the 2021 season. That production certainly would have been welcomed over the last three seasons, regardless of the current youth movement taking place in the Red Sox's bullpen.

Ottavino posted a 4.21 ERA with 11 saves while serving in a set-up/emergency closer role for the 2021 Red Sox -- the last time Boston made the playoffs.

After sitting in free agency for months, Ottavino returned to New York on a discounted one-year, $4.5 million contract. A reunion certainly would have been possible this winter.

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Published May 21, 2024

SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the Boston Red Sox for Sports Illustrated's new page "Inside The Red Sox." Before starting "Inside The Red Sox", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer. His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join the Sports Illustrated Media Group in his current endeavor as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox." The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Red Sox" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu