Will Brian Fuentes replace Hideki Okajima?

It doesn't take a pitching coach, manager or general manager to know that the Boston Red Sox cannot afford to keep Hideki Okajima if he does not start posting clean innings. If Okajima continues to falter, he will likely be replaced, but how will the Sox fill the void?

Justin Masterson would be an ideal replacement for Mike Timlin if Timlin is ineffective after he is activated from the disabled list this week. The Red Sox could move Masterson into the bullpen and replace him in the rotation with Clay Buchholz or Bartolo Colon. If Okajima is replaced, the Red Sox will need an arm that can retire left-handed hitters. There is no Major League ready left-hander in the Boston farm system, so Theo Epstein will have to shop for one.

In today's Providence Journal, Sean McAdam wrote an article about how the Red Sox could acquire Colorado's Brian Fuentes. Unlike Eric Gagne, who struggled when he was thrust into a set-up role with Boston, Fuentes has thrived as a set-up man and a closer. According to MLB Trade Rumors, the Red Sox are one of five teams that are pursuing Fuentes. The others are the Phillies, A's, Mets and, of course, the Yankees.