Ben Cherington and the Fungibility of Relievers

One of the central themes of the off season for new GM Ben Cherington and the Red Sox was shoring up the bullpen. With last year's two best relievers in Jonathan Papelbon and Daniel Bard moving to a new team and a new role, respectively, there were big shoes to fill. Teams with bad bullpens are often under-achievers, so even with the quality expected from the offense and starting staff, the Sox would need to find top quality relievers.

There are many ways to accomplish that goal, but Cherington opted to go through the trade