The Boston Red Sox were active in the free-agent market Sunday, reaching agreements to sign left-handed relievers Jake Diekman and Matt Strahm, pending physicals.

Diekman posted a 3.86 ERA, .211 batting average against and 1.34 WHIP in 67 relief outings (60 2/3 innings) for Oakland last year. He averaged 11.5 strikeouts and 5.0 walks per nine innings, striking out 31.7% of the batters he faced. He has a career 3.73 ERA in 529 games.

Strahm, a 30-year-old lefty, appeared in just 6 2/3 innings for the Padres in 2021. He spent time on the IL because of a right patellar tendon repair and right knee inflammation.

He has a career 3.81 ERA and 1.20 WHIP in 157 appearances (25 starts).

The Red Sox likely will continue to pursue bullpen help. They also need to add a right-handed hitter to replace some of Hunter Renfroe’s offensive production.

Boston traded the right-handed hitting Renfroe (31 homers, 33 doubles in 2021) to the Brewers for Jackie Bradley Jr. and prospects Alex Binelas and David Hamilton on Dec. 1.

“The last time (chief baseball officer) Chaim (Bloom) talked to you guys, he talked about trying to get a right-handed bat and some bullpen help,” Manager Alex Cora said at the JetBlue Park complex Sunday. “It’s been relentless the last two days. That’s why I took a flight from Puerto Rico at 6 in the morning, so I could be here. And on the way here and alligator alley, just make phone calls not only to Peter Gammons but to other people.

“We all know what we need,” Cora added. “I think the whole industry knows where we’re at. We’re just trying to get better. We’ve got some interesting guys that are here, non-roster invitees that provide us depth in the infield. And we’ve got some interesting guys, too, that can play multiple positions. And we like versatility. But we’re still working. The whole group up there (front office), they’ve been working for the last two days and we know we can improve in the upcoming days.”

Cora was asked if he thinks the Red Sox need another outfielder.

“I mean, we’re good where we’re at,” Cora said. “I think, defensively, if we go Enrique (Hernández) in center and Jackie in right, that’s pretty solid. And obviously Alex (Verdugo) did an outstanding job in left field. But we’re looking. We’re trying to improve. And we’ll see where we go.”

Is Bradley an everyday outfielder? That’s a concern after he batted just .163 with a .236 on-base percentage, .261 slugging percentage, six homers, 14 doubles, three triples, 39 runs and 29 RBI in 134 games (428 plate appearances) for the Brewers in 2021.

When asked about getting Bradley back on track offensively, Cora said “We’ve got a few ideas. Obviously one of the things we always talk about is for him to drive the ball to left-center. Last year was last year. He understands his situation and he’s willing to work. With Jackie, there’s never a concern about him physically. You look at him. He actually looks strong and younger.”

The Red Sox can start Hernández in the outfield every day and go with Christian Arroyo at second base – if Arroyo can stay healthy. That’s a major ‘if.’

“Christian was above-average last year at second base,” Cora said. “The only problem was he got hurt. Offensively, very interesting. He punished the ball last year. What he did in the playoffs without playing for a month (before) was eye-opening. He can turn the double play. He has a good arm.”

CORA DOESN’T PLAN to name a closer any time soon.

“We’ll see on April 7 (Opening Day),” he said.

Matt Barnes was an All-Star closer in 2021 but fell apart during the second half.

His issues mostly began Aug. 7. He allowed 12 earned runs in 10 2/3 innings (10.13 ERA) over his final 16 outings. Opponents batted .340 against him.

“Let’s put it this way, he just had two bad months,” Cora said. “And we’re trying to get him right. Physically, he looks good. I think he worked on a few things. I just saw him throwing a bullpen. It’s just a matter of getting him back on track. The fastball has to play. And it played early in the season, then we avoided the strike zone for a while there and he got into trouble. So getting back to the mentality of attacking, attacking, attacking. If he does that we’ll be OK.”

THE RED SOX signed Michael Wacha to a one-year, $7-million contract in late November. He’s likely to begin 2022 in the starting rotation.

The 30-year-old right-hander – who throws a four-seam fastball, two-seam fastball, changeup, cutter and curveball – eliminated his cutter and began mixing in his curveball more often toward the end of the 2021 season with the Rays.

“Michael threw the ball great the last two months,” Cora said. “I think the only bad game he had was the sinker he threw to Raffy (Rafael Devers) and he demolished it. Velocity was up. He made some adjustments throughout the season with Tampa. He was very cutter heavy early on and all of a sudden, he stopped throwing it. The velo was up. The changeup started playing. He’s a veteran. He knows what he needs to do. Stay healthy and we’ll decide what we do. But I really enjoyed watching what he did toward the end.”

SUNDAY WAS the official report date for players, but Cora said workouts were optional. Most players will undergo their physicals Monday.

There will be another optional workout Monday. The first official workout will take place Tuesday.

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