Let's Be Clear - We need a second lefty reliever

 Look, our rotation is solid, although not, at the moment, spectacular at the back end.  Injuries and bad performances can happen, to be sure  Still, I would go into the season with this rotation and the AAA backup plans of Pilkington, Battenfield, Gaddis, Curry and Logan Allen.

I would also go into the season with the current right-handed relievers we have, Clase, Stephan, Karinchak, De Los Santos, Morgan and Sandlin.   Again, injuries and bad performances happen but I am still comfortable with a backup plan of Battenfield, Curry and Gaddis with the likes of Enright, Kelly and Mikolajchak and whatever minor league free agents we sign before the season starts.

But where I am NOT OK is going into the season with Hentges as my only lefty in the bullpen with the backup plan being some combination of Herrin, Pilkington, Allen and Misiasek.  

We need a second, veteran lefty.   We would have had it with Soto but we whiffed on that one.   There are still lefties out there but the better ones (Chafin, Moore) are going to command $10 million for two years or $6 million for one year.  I am thinking that is out of our price range.

I don't know what the answer is but we cannot go into the season with the throw-it-against-the-wall-and-see-what-sticks mentality.   Sam Hentges' arm is too valuable to overuse him at all and ESPECIALLY not early.  

We need a second, lefty option that Francona trusts and that comes from signing (preferred) or trading for a veteran bullpen lefty.   

How we get that, I don't know.  But if we enter spring training with what we have on the left side of the bullpen, it may get ugly early.   And we may have to pay MUCH more for that lefty, in terms of trading prospects, than what it would cost us to sign one right now.

Looking at the minors we don't have much coming up in terms of dominant bullpen lefties.  Giving Moore or, better, Chafin, a 2 yeare deal above what I think a reliever is worth but in the top end of the range of what the market will bear for that asset, is the only way I see even having a CHANCE to go into spring training with any security at all on the left side.  

To be clear, Hentges and, say, Chafin with a backup plan of Pilkington, Herrin, Allen and Misiasek is the best I can imagine a team having.  But without Chafin, this becomes a dangerous situation for Hentges and the team.