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After falling out of favor in St. Louis, Edward Mujica looks to find a role in the Boston Red Sox bullpen.

(Associated Press)

In preparation for the 2014 season, '25 Players in 25 Days' will take an in-depth look at the most impactful players on the Boston Red Sox until pitchers and catchers report on Feb. 15. The series continues with Edward Mujica.

Edward Mujica, RHP

Age on Opening Day: 29

Years with the Red Sox: 0

Contract status: Signed through 2015 ($4.5 million per season)

Key statistic in 2013: 9.20 K/BB ratio

Expected role in 2014: Setup man/backup closer

THE GLORY

Before Koji Uehara make the leap from middle reliever to lights-out closer as part of the Red Sox's run to the World Series, Edward Mujica was doing the same with the St. Louis Cardinals. However, for Mujica, the storybook season had a pretty crummy ending.

Not only did his Cardinals lose the World Series in six games, he never made an appearance against the Red Sox and only pitched in two playoff games.

It wasn't always that way, though. During the regular season, Mujica recorded 37 saves and a 2.78 ERA (both career bests) and appeared in his only All-Star game, thriving as the team's closer. Originally signed as a seventh-inning option, Mujica stepped up into the closer's spot after projected closer Jason Motte underwent Tommy John Surgery and Mitchell Boggs floundered in the role.

Swap out Motte and Boggs for Joel Hanrahan and Andrew Bailey, and it's essentially the same tale as Uehara's.

By the end of the season, though, the Cardinals' All-Star closer became expendable after he was slowed by injuries, giving rise to the team's crop of young fireballers in the bullpen. As a result, Mujica hit the free agent market and joined a Red Sox relief staff looking to bolster the back end.

As it stands, Mujica projects to work in front of Uehara and will likely serve as insurance in the case that he is injured or falls out of favor.

At the time of the signing, general manager Ben Cherington said that the team would "love to have more than one closer on the team," so all signs point to Mujica playing a key role in putting out fires late in games. But that doesn't mean that there's any question over who the No. 1 closer will be on Opening Day.

"All expectations are that Koji would start the year as the closer," Cherington said. "It’s his job until something dictates that it shouldn’t be."

Mujica's main strength is the way he pounds the strike zone. His 9.20 strikeout/walk ratio to end the season was stellar, but is even more impressive when considering that two of his final walks last season came in his final five appearances. Through 61 2/3 innings pitched in 2013, Mujica had 44 strikeouts compared to just three walks, a ratio of 14.67.

Late-season issues put a sour capper on an otherwise spectacular regular season for Mujica, who finished with a 2.78 ERA, a 1.05 WHIP and 37 saves. His numbers at the end of August were far more impressive: a 1.73 ERA and a strike percentage up at 75 percent. His September, though, was the reason he lost his job and ended up as a free agent.

THE QUESTION

The Mujica signing looks great on paper, especially if you focus on the early majority of last season. Prior to 2013, Mujica was primarily a journeyman reliever and the numbers he posted in a year-plus with the Cardinals are the best of his career by far.

That's not to say that Mujica is set up to regress. He'll turn 30 years old on May 10. Compared to the Red Sox's emergent 37-year-old closer, he's firmly still in his prime.

Still, there's September. Mujica cited issues with his groin and neck as the reason for his late-season issues -- and they were some issues.

Mujica posted an ERA of 11.05 and a batting average against of .514 over the final month of the regular season. It's hard to hold on to the closer's role when literally every other batter is getting a hit.

If it really was just a matter of fatigue and soreness throwing off his game, Mujica will be a steal for the Red Sox. If not, then there are going to be some issues. Still, when he was signed, Mujica was vehement that he's healthy now.

“No, nothing was with my shoulder. It was my neck," Mujica said. "I've been checking with doctors and everything. I never had something with my shoulder. I just had a little tightness in my neck. That was the tightness I got during the season because I think I was overworked. My shoulder is fine, 100 percent. I can’t wait to start spring training."

AND THIS TOO

Not only do Mujica and Uehara have similar stories of journeymen emerging as dominant closers last season, they have remarkably similar approaches on the mound.

Mujica's strong favorable comparison's to Uehara in their aggressive style and the way they attack hitters. Mujica finished the year throwing strikes 73 percent of the time while Uehara finished with a mark of 74 percent.

Both pitchers work with a healthy mix of well-located fastballs and nasty splitters, though Mujica has some more velocity on his pitches.

The comparison hasn't escaped Cherington's notice.

“They both have really good splits or changes," he said. "They both throw a lot of strikes. They're similar guys, but they're their own guys. We think they both really fit well, obviously, for what we think works for our team and our division."

NOT EXACTLY A DANCER

During his Cardinals days, Mujica was apparently unwilling to commit to this bit with teammate Joe Kelly.

[GIF via MLB GIFs]