PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (AP) – The sign outside the restaurant on the road from the Red Sox home on Florida’s west coast to the game on the east coast had a simple message: “HIRING CLOSERS.”

The team isn’t advertising for one – like the Burger King in LaBelle 30 miles east of Fort Myers – but the vacancy in that role hasn’t been filled with about two weeks left in spring training.

Was that closer already on Boston’s roster entering Thursday night’s game against the New York Mets?

“It’s too early to tell, but, yeah, I would expect so,” general manager Theo Epstein said. “I don’t anticipate anything big. We don’t have anything going right now with any other team, so I anticipate we’ll figure something out with the guys we have here.”

The fast-food franchise already has a place – and not a very pleasant one – in the history of Red Sox closers.

Keith Foulke, who finished all four games in the Red Sox sweep of St. Louis in the 2004 World Series, allowed a game-winning grand slam to Cleveland’s Travis Hafner on June 29, 2005.

“It was a bad day of work,” Foulke said right after the game. “I’ve always said the hardest thing is to come in here and face my teammates (rather) than worry about Johnny from Burger King booing me.”

Foulke was criticized for the remark, interpreted as a slap at fans. In spring training last year, he struggled with knee problems as he tried to get ready for the season. In the third game of the regular season, Jonathan Papelbon took over as closer and finished with 35 saves and a 0.92 ERA.

Foulke became a setup man when he was healthy, signed with Cleveland as a free agent after the season, then retired last month. With Papelbon now in the rotation, the Red Sox need someone to fill that role.

The top candidates entering spring training were right-handers Joel Pineiro, Brendan Donnelly, Julian Tavarez and Mike Timlin. But Timlin hasn’t pitched because of a strained side muscle and is unlikely to be ready for the season opener on April 2.

“It’s not just the closer,” manager Terry Francona said. “We need to set up our bullpen where we have a chance to win every night. It doesn’t work where you have a chance to win one night and if you use (all) your guys, the next night you’re in trouble.”

The Red Sox plan to open the season with 12 pitchers. Five starters plus Pineiro, Donnelly, Tavarez and left-handers Hideki Okajima and J.C. Romero appear to be locks. Kyle Snyder has the edge as a long reliever and Timlin would get the final spot if he’s not on the disabled list.

Pineiro, signed as a free agent from Seattle, appears to have the inside track on the closer’s job if he pitches well.

“It seems like each outing with Pineiro he’s thrown more good pitches,” Francona said. “He’s got to keep going.”

In their last outings Wednesday, Tavarez allowed two runs on two hits, a walk and a hit batsman before Donnelly gave up two hits in his only inning. But Epstein didn’t seem worried.

“Julian Tavarez is getting ready for the season. I don’t even think he knows how many base runners he gave up. He’s going to be fine,” Epstein said. “Brendan Donnelly is working on things. He’s throwing the ball well. He’s throwing pitches that he wouldn’t throw in normal circumstances.”

Young right-handers Craig Hansen and Manny Delcarmen have major-league experience but may need more seasoning in the minors. Hansen, a first-round draft pick in 2005 who was rushed to the majors last year because of injuries, was seen by fans as the closer of the future, but Francona said it’s not his view.

“I don’t think you’ve ever heard me say that,” Francona said. “We drafted him as a a reliever that we think can impact our bullpen. How that happens is up to him.”

The Red Sox are running out of time to establish roles for their relievers.

“If we knew exactly where everybody was situated right now, I’d probably sleep a little better,” Francona said, “but we have some questions we still need to answer. “

Even though Foulke was inconsistent as the closer in 2005 after an outstanding 2004 season, Francona knew who to turn to for that job.

“When you got him in the game, you didn’t see anybody else out there warming up,” Francona said, “and if we lost, it’s not good to lose, but you didn’t see a team panicking because that’s the guy who’s supposed to be doing it and he could handle it.”

AP-ES-03-15-07 2042EDT