The Red Sox have agreed to terms on a minor-league contract with free-agent left-hander Matt Moore, as was first reported by WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford. The deal, which is presumably pending a physical, comes with an invite to major-league spring training, according to The New York Post’s Jon Heyman.
As an Article XX(B) free agent, Moore will have three opt-out clauses in his contract with the Red Sox. The 35-year-old will have the ability to return to free agency on March 22 (five days before Opening Day), May 1, and June 1 if he has not yet been added to Boston’s 40-man roster.
Moore, who turns 36 in June, is a veteran of 13 major-league seasons who was originally selected by the Rays in the eighth round of the 2007 draft out of Moriarty High School in New Mexico. A former top prospect, the Florida-born lefty broke in with Tampa Bay in 2011 and burst onto the scene two years later by being named a 2013 American League All-Star and finishing ninth in American League Cy Young voting. He underwent Tommy John surgery the following April and was later traded to the Giants in August 2016.
Moore struggled in San Francisco and bounced around a bit between the Giants, Rangers, and Tigers before suffering a torn right meniscus in just his second start for Detroit in April 2019. He underwent season-ending surgery as a result and subsequently took his talents to Japan for the 2020 campaign. He then leveraged a strong showing with the NPB’s Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks into a one-year deal with the Phillies for 2021. The Red Sox were interested in his services at that time but came up short in their pursuit.
Though his return to the United States did not go well out of the gate, Moore latched on with the Rangers on a minor-league pact before the start of the 2022 season and found new life as a reliever. He forged a 1.95 ERA (2.98 FIP) in 63 relief appearances (74 innings) for Texas and parlayed that bounceback effort into successive one-year deals with the Angels in 2023 and 2024, respectively.
Moore wound up splitting the 2023 campaign between the Angels, Guardians, and Marlins, compiling a 2.56 ERA (3.73 FIP) in 50 total outings (52 2/3 innings). He returned to the Halos on a one-year, $9 million contract last January but struggled to a 5.03 ERA (6.17 FIP) with 41 strikeouts to 21 walks over 51 appearances (48 1/3 innings) before suffering a left forearm strain that ended his season a month early. He appears to be healthy now, however.
All told, Moore owns a lifetime 4.39 ERA (4.38 FIP) with 1,053 strikeouts to 486 walks across 369 outings (164 starts) spanning 1,142 2/3 career innings at the major-league level. That includes a 2.98 ERA (4.08 FIP) with 184 strikeouts to 79 walks in 164 relief appearances (175 innings) over the last three seasons.
While the surface-level numbers from last year may seem discouraging, Moore did hold opposing hitters to a .218 batting average. Left-handed hitters batted just .174 against him. The 6-foot-3, 210-pound southpaw also ranked in the 79th percentile of all big leaguers in expected batting average (.216) and the 76th percentile in hard-hit rate (35.5 percent), according to Baseball Savant. His average fastball velocity fell from 94 mph to 92.7 mph, though that may have been due in part to the aforementioned forearm strain he sustained.
The reported addition of Moore comes on the same day Red Sox manager Alex Cora told reporters (including MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo) in Fort Myers that rookie lefty Zach Penrod underwent an MRI on his elbow Wednesday after experiencing soreness in the area earlier in the week. While the team plans on having more information relating to his results on Friday, there are some initial concerns about potential ligament damage that could lead to a lengthy absence.
Moore, meanwhile, becomes the 14th pitcher to receive a non-roster invite to camp from the Red Sox this spring. He joins fellow lefties Jovani Moran and Sean Newcomb in that regard. Boston also has southpaws Brennan Bernardino, Aroldis Chapman, Chris Murphy (rehabbing from Tommy John surgery), Penrod, and Justin Wilson as left-handed bullpen options on the 40-man roster.
(Picture of Matt Moore: Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images)
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