Now Entering, for the Boston Red Sox, Closer...Joe Kelly?

Pitch Joe Kelly, receive a poor start, rinse, repeat.

It has now been six starts, 54 days and one demotion since Kelly has won a game for the Boston Red Sox. The Joe Kelly as a starter project has all but ended as the Red Sox have officially missed on their return for John Lackey, but one move could salvage the team’s failures.

Move Kelly into the bullpen, setting him up to become a possible closer.

Call me crazy, but I think it could work.

Kelly tops out at 100 mph with his fastball in practically every start, but yet still struggles in each time he takes the mound. He often shows flashes of potential in each start, throwing one or two great innings only to follow up with one disastrous inning, ruining his entire start.

Remove the mentality of having to make it through six or more quality innings for Kelly. Let him pitch for one inning, focus on only three batters. He could become a real asset in this situation. Imagine Kelly coming out of the bullpen slinging fastballs at 100 mph. Within this situation, I feel as if Kelly would improve drastically.

As a comparison, how about Tom Gordon?

Gordon came to the Red Sox as a starting pitcher. He could pitch five quality innings but would break down in the sixth inning and on. Gordon still had a good career as a starter, unlike Kelly, but he couldn’t throw 100 mph regularly for five innings or more, his arm couldn’t do it by the time the Red Sox had control over his services. So the team elected to turn Gordon into a closer and his career rejuvenated. Gordon became one of the best closers in the game, becoming an all-star for the first time in his career.

Will the same happen to Kelly? Probably not. But I truly believe Kelly has real potential as a closer, if not, definitely within the bullpen. Kelly cannot enter the closer role immediately as the Red Sox have a legitimate closer in Koji Uehara and Kelly’s struggles as a starter should still make the team apprehensive.

But in a lost season, the Red Sox have already started to take inventory. They traded right fielder Shane Victorino, granting outfielder Rusney Castillo a spot on the roster in order to see what he can contribute. Similar moves might happen in the Red Sox’s near future as well.

Starters become closer more often than one would think—Jonathan Papelbon, Andrew Miller, Zach Britton, even Uehara himself just to name a few. I would take any of those pitchers on my current team.

Will Kelly turn into the league’s best closer? Probably not. Is it worth the attempt? Probably. You can’t succeed unless you try and I have full confidence that Kelly would at least make a viable option out of the bullpen.