Merloni: Road's now clear for Bard to start

They're known as 'unintended consequences'. But this? This might be an intended one.

The acquisition of Andrew Bailey on Wednesday, along with the earlier trade for Mark Melancon, shores up a thin Red Sox bullpen. What it also may do, according to Lou Merloni, is bolster the starting rotation.

Because now, says the ex-Sox infielder, the road is clear to make Daniel Bard -- who has high-end stuff -- a starter.

"What you've allowed yourself to do is . . . acquire a high-upside starter in Daniel Bard for nothing," the ex-Sox infielder said on 'SportsNet Central' Wednesday. "You just put him right in that rotation and you see how it goes."

But that's not all.

"And the thing I like most about it is . . . if the innings rack up and [Bard's] sitting on 130 in July and August and you think he's starting to get a little tired, give him a little breather [and] send him back into that bullpen. Now you've got a super bullpen.

"I think it gives them a little flexibility."