ANAHEIM, Calif. — Clearly, the Red Sox bullpen is in a state of flux.

The team has been exploring the trade market, trying to see if there is a midsummer cure to its middle relief crisis. Thus far, however, signs are not promising that the Sox will match up with the Blue Jays on a deal that might net the most attractive reliever known to be on the market, Scott Downs.

At the same time, the Sox have explored the possibility of dealing some of their current relievers. The Sox have talked with the Mets about the possibility of shipping Ramon Ramirez to Queens, although that, too, appears unlikely to take place, though it is noteworthy that other clubs are viewing a pitcher like Ramirez as a change-of-scenery candidate whose stuff represents a kind of lottery ticket, capable of becoming an impact arm in a new environment.

The Sox are also engaged in a period of internal experimentation. Michael Bowden – currently in Triple-A Pawtucket – is being groomed to work out of the bullpen down the stretch this year. In the interim, the roles of the team’s current middle relievers appear to be in a state of change. In Monday’s 6-3 Red Sox victory over the Angels, the Sox needed just six outs of relief after Clay Buchholz delivered seven innings of one-run ball. Daniel Bard, the most reliable Sox reliever, was unavailable after having thrown in five of the previous seven days.

“As much as we like Bard, our goal is not to have him leading the league in appearances and innings,” manager Terry Francona said later. “Some nights you’ve got to win without him.”

Monday was such a night. Yet instead of turning to longtime mainstays Hideki Okajima or Manny Delcarmen or even Ramirez to start the eighth inning, the Sox went instead to Scott Atchison, whose recent strong performance (9 1/3 innings without allowing an earned run prior to last night) at a time when the aforementioned non-Bard middle relievers have struggled has resulted in a role of growing importance.

Turning to Atchison for the eighth inning may have represented an effort to see whether another member of the bullpen might be able to step up in support of Bard and Jonathan Papelbon, given the significant struggles of both Okajima and Delcarmen. On Monday, the experiment did not work as hoped.

Atchison surrendered a two-run homer to Hideki Matsui, necessitating the entry of Papelbon into the game with two outs in the eighth. Though Papelbon delivered a four-out save – his first save of more than three outs since last September – the Sox were less than thrilled that his services were needed for that duration, particularly given an lengthy top of the ninth that required the closer to stretch and struggle to stay loose in the dugout.

“I’d rather [the save] have been three [outs],” mused Francona. “As soon as the tying run came to the plate, Pap knew he was in the game. Three is a lot better. That’s a long inning in between, a lot of waiting, but sometimes you’ve got to do it.”

Increasingly, as was the case on Monday, the Sox’ management of the bullpen appears to be driven by necessity, rather than choice. That, of course, is an uncomfortable position for a club. That has made the team’s interest in aggressively exploring the market for relievers natural.

It has become, at least in passing, a topic of conversation among players whether the Sox might make a move for a reliever. Asked whether the team needs to make such a move, Bard answered cautiously.

“It’s not my decision to make. We’ve got a good group of arms that when we’re playing up to our full ability, we’ve got a really good bullpen. It’s a matter of finding some more consistency,” said Bard. “Whether or not we have the personnel there to do it is not up to me. I think we have some talented guys who have proven themselves for a long time. If we can get back as a whole like we’re all capable of, I think we’re a really good bullpen. I guess we’ll see in the next few days if they feel like we need some more arms out there.”

The answer is almost certainly that the front office does feel like the team needs more — or perhaps different — arms. The bullpen’s 15 blown saves are tied for the most in the American League, the group’s 4.47 ERA ranks 11th and the 43 homers allowed are easily the most in the AL. So, the desire for change — internal, external or both — is apparent. The next few days will reveal the cost that the team is willing to pay in order to change the group’s composition.