The Red Sox would have been content to bring back either left-hander Billy Wagner or right-hander Takashi Saito. Though both veterans will require careful health management to ensure their productivity, both the 38-year-old Wagner and the 39-year-old Saito proved effective in 2009.

Wagner had a 1.72 ERA in 17 big-league appearances in his return from Tommy John surgery, punching out 26 batters in the process. Saito had a 2.43 ERA in his 56 appearances.

But, with both relievers having signed with the Braves in a span of less than 48 hours, the Sox are prepared to move on. The Sox offered Wagner salary arbitration, though they anticipated that the left-hander would pursue a job as a closer elsewhere, a notion that was borne out by his $7 million deal. And yesterday, Saito — who was offered a short-money deal by the Sox, who liked the right-hander, but felt compelled to manage his usage carefully given an elbow that nearly required Tommy John surgery in 2008 — followed Wagner to Atlanta, with a deal that guarantees him a reported $3.2 million.

Now, the Sox have a pair of openings in their bullpen for 2010. Barring a trade, the team will return Jonathan Papelbon, Daniel Bard, Hideki Okajima, Ramon Ramirez and Manny Delcarmen to next year’s relief corps, the primary members of a group that forged a 3.80 ERA (second-best among AL bullpens) in 2009.

If the team wants to look internally to replace Wagner and Saito to fill out the ‘pen, it could look to left-hander Dustin Richardson (who struck out 11.7 batters per nine innings in the minors in 2009 before tossing 3.1 scoreless innings in the majors following a September call-up), Michael Bowden (who struggled to a 9.56 ERA in 16 big-league innings, but finished sixth in the International League (min. 100 innings) with a 3.13 ERA) or right-hander Junichi Tazawa (2.55 ERA in Double A and Triple A; 2-3, 7.46 ERA in the majors).

The team has also shown interest in free agents Rafael Soriano (2.97 ERA, 12.1 strikeouts per nine innings with the Braves in 2009) and left-hander Mike Gonzalez (5-4, 2.42 ERA, 10.9 strikeouts per nine innings for Atlanta in 2009).

Red Sox manager Terry Francona provided a number of updates about potential reserves for the postseason roster. The newest and likely most significant development was that outfielder Rocco Baldelli, after leaving Friday’s game with discomfort in his hip, is feeling “pretty tender” and “was hurting” when he arrived in the Fenway Park clubhouse today.

Baldelli will probably have to wait until Monday to undergo further tests, potentially including an MRI, but his availability for the start of the postseason could be in some question depending upon the results. Outfielders Joey Gathright and Brian Anderson will both be traveling with the Sox to Anaheim on Monday night for the start of the Division Series. Gathright seems all but certain to have a postseason roster spot regardless of Baldelli’s health; the right-handed Anderson, meanwhile, could become an option for the roster if Baldelli is limited.

Other relevant developments in the formulation of the playoff roster:

SHORTSTOP

–Alex Gonzalez’ X-rays today revealed that there was no fracture in his right hand. That came as a significant relief to both the shortstop and his club.

“To get hurt like that, be out for the season, it would be frustrating, especially since we’re going to the playoffs,” said Gonzalez. “That’s what I live for: the team in the postseason, trying to win the World Series. Thank God it didn’t happen.”

Gonzalez planned to take some swings on Saturday, and hopes to play on Sunday. That diminishes slightly the brief sense of panic that could have crept into the team’s calculations regarding its shortstop position.

–The backup role still seems a bit of an open question, however, with Nick Green seemingly unavailable, Jed Lowrie still somewhat limited (“We don’t want to see too much of Lowrie,” said Francona, suggesting that the team is still trying to measure his playing time) as he continues to rebuild strength following his April wrist surgery and Chris Woodward away from the club to be with his wife after she delivered the couple’s third child.

RIGHT FIELD / LEFT-HANDED OUTFIELDERS

–Sox manager Terry Francona said that J.D. Drew is fine, and will play tomorrow. Presuming he comes out of that game without a hitch, Josh Reddick will be sent to Fort Myers to stay fresh in case an injury requires the Sox to add him to the roster later in the postseason. If Drew has a setback, then Reddick would travel with the Sox to Anaheim as an insurance option.

CATCHERS

–George Kottaras will travel with the club to Anaheim, but seemingly in a non-roster capacity. Unlike previous years, where the Sox were inclined to have three catchers to maximize their roster versatility, it appears that the team will have just two catchers this year. While Kottaras will travel with the team in the postseason, catcher Dusty Brown will head to Fort Myers to stay sharp.

PITCHERS

–Paul Byrd said that he will be in the Red Sox bullpen both on Saturday and Sunday, but he did not think it necessary for him to gear up for a potential postseason bullpen role by making an appearance in the next couple of days.

–Michael Bowden will also head to Fort Myers to stay sharp. Pitchers Dustin Richardson, Hunter Jones and Fernando Cabrera will all head home.

–Junichi Tazawa will also travel with the Sox to Anaheim, spend the first two games with the club (“We want him to experience a little bit of what we’re doing,” said Sox manager Terry Francona, “and what he can hopefully be a part of”) and then fly back to Japan, his first professional season concluded.

With Junichi Tazawa having pitched 3.2 innings on Friday, the Red Sox summoned right-hander Michael Bowden from the minors to serve as an insurance option who can provide long relief should Tim Wakefield struggle to provide innings on Saturday. This is Bowden’s third call-up of the year; he has a 15.75 ERA in his two prior appearances, one of which was successful (2 shutout innings against the Yankees), the other of which was a disaster (2 innings, 7 runs).

Bowden (4-6, 3.13 ERA in Triple-A this year) is a native of the Chicago area, and so the opportunity to join the Red Sox in U.S. Cellular Field represents a homecoming of sorts for him.

Here is the release from the Red Sox announcing his call-up:

The Boston Red Sox recalled right-handed pitcher Michael Bowden from Triple-A Pawtucket.  Bowden will wear No. 64 and be available for today’s game against the White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field.  With today’s move, the club’s active Major League roster is at 32 players.

The announcements were made by Executive Vice President/General Manager Theo Epstein.

For Bowden, 22, it is his third stint with the Big League club this season after combining to allow seven runs over 4.0 innings in two relief appearances for Boston earlier this year.  Over 24 starts with the PawSox this season, he went 4-6 and at the time of his promotion ranked 4th in the International League with a 3.13 ERA (44 ER/126.1 IP).  The right-hander was 1-1 with a 1.96 ERA (5 ER/23.0 IP) over his final four starts.

Selected by Boston in the supplemental round (club’s fifth pick) of the 2005 First-Year Player Draft, Bowden has appeared in three career Major League games (one start).  He made his debut with the Red Sox in a start on August 30, 2008 against the White Sox.  In 106 career minor league games (103 starts) over parts of five seasons in the Boston organization, he is 33-25 with a 3.15 ERA (186 ER/532.0 IP), 477 strikeouts and 153 walks.

PAWTUCKET – With the sappy euphoria of All-Star week behind us, it’s time to get down to brass tacks.

The Red Sox are only three games up on the Yankees in a tight AL East race; Tampa Bay and their big bats are ready to pounce at only 6.5 games behind; and the Fenway faithful is hungry for another championship. The pressure is on Boston to win, and in the next 2½ months they’ll try everything they can to do just that – perhaps including a shuffling around of players currently on the roster.

With only a couple weeks until the trade deadline, will Clay Buchholz be around to see October in Boston?

Roy Halladay has been the focal point of trade rumors ever since Toronto G.M. J.P. Ricciardi publicly declared that he would be shopping the Blue Jays’ ace. The prospect of sporting a pitching staff that includes a top three of Josh Beckett, Jon Lester and Halladay (not to mention Smoltz, Wakefield, Penny and perhaps Matsuzaka) would border on excessive. 

If the Sox were to trade for the Cy Young Award-winning Halladay, the package might have to include prized prospect Clay Buchholz. The 24-year-old righty has had a most unusual career with Boston thus far: in only his second game with the club, Buchholz threw a no-hitter against Baltimore before going 2-9 with a 6.75 ERA during the 2008 season.

This year Buchholz has pitched for Triple-A Pawtucket, where he’s been completely dominant, going 7-2 with a 2.36 ERA.

“Buch’s an interesting guy because he burst onto the scene with a no-hitter, but he still had development left,” said Pawtucket Manager Ron Johnson. “I think the organization made a really good call with him last year by sending him to the Fall League, and we’re reaping the benefits of it right now because he’s put together a really fine season.”

On Friday, Buchholz finally gets to make his first major league start of 2009 as the Sox head to Toronto. The call-up is described by Sox officials as likely being a one-and-done affair, with the pitcher expected to be sent back to the minors afterwards.

But the fact that the game will take place in Toronto certainly adds to the intrigue given the Halladay rumors. Blue Jays scouts were in attendance at his last start in Pawtucket on Sunday, but Buchholz hasn’t let the trade rumors affect him.

“It never really was an issue for me,” Buchholz said on Sunday. “Everything happens for a reason, so if something like that was to happen then you just have to take it for what it’s worth and you go on with your career. But I plan to be with the Red Sox for a long time.”

Some wonder whether the call-up is simply an opportunity for Boston to showcase the young flamethrower to Toronto before a potential trade. But Buchholz said he completely disagrees and, above all else, he’s just excited to be back in the big leagues.

His teammates have adopted a similar attitude, choosing to mostly ignore the trade talk and instead focus on playing the game.

“It’s uncontrollable and there’s nothing I can do, so I don’t worry about it,” said Pawtucket pitcher Michael Bowden, another highly touted Sox prospect. “There are so many other things that go into this game that you need to focus on, and you can’t let that stuff get in your head.”

Shortstop Jed Lowrie, who has played with Buchholz in Pawtucket while rehabbing this season, remembers when his name came up in trade talks for another big time pitcher in 2007: Johan Santana. Dealing with the rumors, Lowrie said, wasn’t too bad at all.

“I found it relatively simply,” Lowrie said. “Rumors are rumors, and getting traded is all part of the business. You just have to always prepare yourself for something like that, and if it happens you have to go into the situation with the best attitude you can.”

While Buchholz certainly seems to have the right attitude, it’s the powers that be who will ultimately decide his fate.

Johnson knows this, and that’s why he’s not sweating about Buchholz’s future either.

“I’m not going to play GM on this thing,” Johnson said. “Clay Buchholz is going to prepare to pitch for the Red Sox and do the best he can. What happens after that, it’s up to the guys upstairs. We’ve got some smart guys up there.”

Red Sox farm director Mike Hazen addressed Clay Buchholz’ admission that he is frustrated about being stuck in the minors despite a performance that suggests that the pitcher is major-league ready. Hazen said that the pitcher was entitled to feel as if he is ready to graduate from the minors, and that in some respects, it is encouraging to hear Buchholz suggest as much, particularly given how his confidence sank last season.

“There should be an expectation of the player to feel like he’s ready to go to the big leagues…It’s a positive thing when somebody feels like they’ve put a lot of hard work in and they’re ready to make that leap,” said Hazen. “I think we’re reading into it more that he has that confidence, that swagger, to seize the opportunity when it comes. Ultimately, he’s just got to go out and continue to perform every five days. He’s held up his end of the bargain. He’s worked hard. We’ve seen nothing affect his five-day routine outside the white lines.”

Hazen applauded Buchholz’ professionalism throughout 2009. In a season in which he is caught in an organization that has tremendous pitching depth that can lead to even an elite pitching prospect remain in the minors, the pitcher has continued to do everything in his power to prepare between starts and to perform when it is his turn on the mound.

“He’s handled every situation that’s been thrown at him like a pro,” said Hazen. “He’s worked his butt off down in Triple-A. Those things are facts. And his performance has been unbelievable. He has taken care of every ounce of what he can. He needs to continue to do it. We’re proud of him.”

Buchholz, of course, is not the first player to be a victim of minor-league options. Sometimes, players who are major-league ready must simply endure a prolonged apprenticeship in the minors while they wait for an opening, simply because they have options remaining. (For the record, the Sox can option Buchholz throughout both this season and next before they would have to subject him to waivers while doing so.) In 2005, Kevin Youkilis was an example of just such a roster victim when he shuttled between Pawtucket and Boston.

While Buchholz is clearly chomping at the bit to reach the majors, Hazen suggested that the pitcher remains driven to do so in Boston, while suggesting that the right-hander will eventually do just that.

“I believe wholeheartedly that Clay Buchholz wants to pitch for the Boston Red Sox,” said Hazen. “I believe wholeheartedly that both (Buchholz and Michael Bowden) want to be Boston Red Sox and that both of them will be, and that they’ll help us win another World Series. It’s just a matter of the timing of the situation.”

Mike Giardi of NECN conducted a pair of fascinating interviews with the top two Red Sox pitching prospects, Clay Buchholz and Michael Bowden. In the interviews, the two pitchers — who have been close friends since they were both selected by the Red Sox as sandwich picks in the 2005 draft — analyzed their predicament as pitchers who have done virtually everything they need to do to prove that they are ready for the majors, but who are in an organization whose remarkable pitching depth has both of them stuck in Triple-A.

Buchholz and Bowden offered a difference of opinions about the implications of their current minor-league status. Buchholz, who is 4-0 with a 1.75 ERA entering his Monday night start, craves an opportunity to start in the majors, regardless of whether it is in Boston or elsewhere.

“There’s nowhere to go. There’s sort of a logjam up there (on the Boston pitching staff),” Buchholz said in the interview. “They’re doing what they feel is right up there for the team to win. Whenever they come to a problem, they seem to find a way to fix it without me being in the picture. It is what it is. It’s frustrating at times. I’m going out and every fifth day here, helping this team, trying to help this team win and trying to get better every time out.

“I feel like I’m more equipped with everything that I have right now as far as the pitches and the mental aspect. I’m physically healthy to be up there and be able to help that team,” the 24-year-old added. “If not that team, then I want be in the big leagues and I do want to go where I’ll be able to play and go and pitch every fifth day.”

(WEEI.com’s D.J. Bean also recently touched base with Buchholz, a pitcher who was described by PawSox manager Ron Johnson as perhaps “overdue” in his path to the majors. It is worth mentioning that while Buchholz suggested that being in the majors right now is more important than being a member of the Red Sox, he said in the interview that, all things being equal, he would refer to remain in Boston. Moreover, Buchholz has accepted his position in the Sox organization completely in dozens of interviews since the beginning of spring training, suggesting that he is willing to bide behind a group whose abilities are obvious.)

Bowden, 22, is two years younger than Buchholz, and so perhaps that explains part of the reason why he seems to be in less of a hurry to get to the majors. The right-hander, who is 3-3 with a 2.48 ERA, suggested that his priority is to pitch in Boston, even if he will need another year or more to break into the Sox pitching staff on a full-time basis.

“I’ve been in this organization five years. That’s what I’m working towards…That’s my goal and that’s where I want to be,” Bowden told Giardi. “(Being traded is) out of my control. If it’s out of my control, why worry about it. If it happens, it happens. I understand it’s  a business, and that there are opportunities elsewhere. But like I said, I love this organization and I’d hate to leave…I’d rather stay in the minors an extra year or so to play with Boston, and to play in Boston at Fenway, with that group of guys.”

Righthander Michael Bowden was called up by the Red Sox prior to their Sunday night series finale with the Yankees to provide bullpen depth.

Red Sox skipper Terry Francona said before the game that he will stay away from Jonathan Papelbon, Ramon Ramirez and Manny Delcarmen and that Takashi Saito would close for the Red Sox if the need arises.

To make room for Bowden, infield Gil Velazquez was optioned to Triple-A Pawtucket. Francona said Bowden will likely head back to Pawtucket following the game to make room for infield Julio Lugo, who will be activated prior to Monday’s game in Cleveland.

“He seems to be moving and not favoring his leg or anything like that,” Francona said of Lugo’s strengthened right knee. “The more he plays, the better he’ll be. I’m sure there’s a little rust there.”

As for how much he’ll be used right away, Francona said he will rely on how Lugo feels to make that determination.

“Some of it is going to depend on how he feels,” Francona said. “We’re not just going to turn him loose and just because he’s on our roster and hurt him. We’ll use some common sense.”