Red Sox remain interested in relievers

You can never have enough pitching. That's the old baseball adage, at least. And with that in mind, the Red Sox -- seemingly finished finalizing their roster for the 2010 season -- have reportedly continued to troll the free-agent market for what they hope will be low-risk, high-reward relievers.

A couple different media outlets have recently linked the Sox to Joe Nelson and Oscar Villarreal -- relievers they can perhaps sign to Minor League contracts with Spring Training invites, with the hopes they'll perform above expectations, and the knowledge that if they don't, they aren't investing much in the first place.

During an event for select Red Sox fans at Fenway Park on Friday, general manager Theo Epstein said "maybe the last spot in the bullpen" will be an open competition when pitchers and catchers report to Fort Myers, Fla., on Feb. 18.

It's very early, but as of now, Jonathan Papelbon, Hideki Okajima, Daniel Bard, Manny Delcarmen and Ramon Ramirez (the one who posted a 2.84 ERA in 70 games for the Red Sox last season) look to have solidified spots in the bullpen. With Michael Bowden likely to start the year as a starter for Triple-A Pawtucket, at least one spot in the bullpen is expected to be an open competition between the likes of Brian Shouse, Boof Bonser and the other Ramon Ramirez (the one claimed off waivers from the Rays in December).

And perhaps others?

"[We're] always on the lookout for more additions if they make sense," Epstein said Friday. "We don't necessarily have great opportunity to sell at this point. There's certain aspects of our club, if someone's prepared for some competition, maybe we could be the right landing spot for one of these guys to a Minor League deal."

Nelson told FoxSports.com on Saturday that the Red Sox, along with the Dodgers and Nationals, are among the teams showing interest in his services.

The 35-year-old right-hander had a solid bounceback year for the Marlins in 2008 -- posting a 2.00 ERA in 54 innings -- but struggled with the Rays in '09, posting a 4.02 ERA in 42 relief appearances before spending August and September in the Minor Leagues.

Last season, Nelson -- a five-year, up-and-down veteran with a career 4.07 ERA -- sported an 8.53 ERA in May, but an ERA no higher than 3.00 in April, June or July.

"I had a really tough May last year," he told FoxSports.com. "Before and after that, I was throwing the ball really well."

As for Villarreal, AOL FanHouse reported that the Red Sox were among a group of teams -- including the Phillies, D-backs and Rockies -- that watched his Friday throwing session in Tempe, Ariz. Villarreal, nine months removed from Tommy John elbow ligament replacement surgery, was throwing 89-90 mph.

The 28-year-old right-hander last pitched for the Astros in '08, going 1-3 with a 5.02 ERA in 35 relief appearances, striking out 21 and walking 17 in 37 2/3 innings. In six years in the big leagues -- spent with the D-backs, Braves and Astros -- the Mexican-born Villarreal is 24-15 with a 3.86 ERA and a 1.75 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 258 games.

Villarreal signed a Minor League contract with the Royals last year, but he suffered an arm injury and was released by the club without logging a single inning of professional baseball in '09.