When it comes to crafting a bullpen in Major League Baseball, teams have plenty of playbooks to choose from. You might develop your own pitching prospects into a powerhouse relief squad, like the Royals did back in 2015.
Or you could take a page from the Cubs and piece together a bullpen from savvy free-agent signings. Then there's the Dodgers' approach: if you've got the budget, why not buy up the best arms available?
But leave it to the Boston Red Sox to carve out their own niche. They've just added Ryan Watson to their Opening Day roster, marking their third reliever brought in via the Rule 5 Draft.
With past successes like Garrett Whitlock and Justin Slaten, the Red Sox have shown they know how to strike gold with these picks. They're hoping Watson can continue this winning streak in 2026.
Watson, a talent-first pick from December, posted a 4.26 ERA over 50 innings with the Giants' Triple-A team last year. While those numbers might not jump off the page, his ability to close out nine saves and strike out over 28% of batters hints at untapped potential.
Despite a less-than-stellar spring training, Boston is banking on Watson's impressive arsenal. His slider and curveball boasted whiff rates around 40% last season, and his fastball is nothing to sneeze at either. Rather than risk losing him to waivers, the Red Sox are betting on the 28-year-old's skills to flourish in their bullpen.
There’s precedent for this approach paying off. Both Slaten and Whitlock have become key bullpen pieces for manager Alex Cora.
Whitlock, plucked from the Yankees in 2020, has thrived since moving full-time to the bullpen, even positioning himself as the potential heir to Aroldis Chapman. His performance in the World Baseball Classic suggests he could be even better this year.
Meanwhile, Slaten, picked up from the Rangers in 2023, has been a reliable middle reliever. Over the past two seasons, he's pitched nearly 90 innings with a solid 3.43 ERA and a 3.02 FIP. If Watson can follow in Slaten’s footsteps, the Red Sox would gladly take that kind of development.
While it might not be the conventional route, the Red Sox’s strategy of building a bullpen from other teams’ overlooked prospects could soon become the next big trend-especially if Watson turns into their third Rule 5 success story.