Mark L.Baer-USA TODAY Sports
When the Boston Red Sox made the trade last season to acquire Joe Kelly and Allen Craig from the St. Louis Cardinals for John Lackey, it seemed as though that was a trade that had at least a little bit of upside. Craig was a very productive hitter with the Cardinals and Kelly had some promise as a starting pitcher. This trade however has not gone Boston’s way at all.
Don’t even get started on Craig. Meanwhile, Kelly has had moments of promise but for the most part has been very disappointing in his time in the Boston rotation. Recently, he was finally sent down to Pawtucket. Hopefully, he can use this time to figure out how he can pitch more effectively in the MLB. One theory of why he has struggled so badly is that with the Cardinals, he had Yadier Molina as his catcher so he hasn’t had to think much about what to throw. Molina took care of all that for him.
Boston needs to figure out just what Kelly is. Is he a starter or a reliever? There is no disputing that he has electric stuff and it can at times be overpowering. The problem is the second or third time through the rotation where he starts falling apart. He seems to be the perfect candidate to be a reliever. In that role, he doesn’t have to think much. He can just rear back and throw and batters would only face him once.
The Red Sox have gone through this before recently with Andrew Miller. Miller was a very mediocre starter, figured it out and now he might be the most overpowering reliever in the game. Kelly could go down the same path.
Koji Uehara isn’t getting any younger. Boston needs to start thinking about their future.
Carter Roane is a Boston Red Sox writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter@CarterGRoane, “Like”him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
