Category: Baseball

Red Sox Agree to Deal With Two-Way Taiwanese Prospect Chih-Jung Liu

The Red Sox have reportedly signed 20-year-old two-way player Chih-Jung Liu as an international free agent out of the Chinese Professional Baseball League, per CPBLStats.com.

The signing was made on Wednesday, with Liu receiving a signing bonus of $750,000, according to The Boston’s Globe Pete Abraham.

A native of Taiwan, Liu played college ball at Culture University in Taipei City, where he excelled as a hitter after taking a few years off from pitching due to injuries suffered in high school.

Returning to the mound this fall, the right-hander continued to impress, at one point reaching 97 MPH with his four-seam fastball during an October 3rd start and 101 MPH in his latest start this past Sunday for Team Taiwan in the Asian Baseball Championship Gold Medal game against Japan.

As indicated by CPBL Stats, Liu is currently training with the Taiwanese National Team in preparation for the World Baseball Softball Confederation’s Premier12 tournament, which begins on November 2nd.

Red Sox infielder and Taiwan native Tzu-Wei Lin is also part of those preparations and the two already appear to have a solid relationship.

“I’m glad I have the opportunity to play professional baseball overseas,”Liu told reporters Wednesday. “There is also Lin Tzu-Wei in the organisation, he will look after me.”

Despite the fact that the Sox have yet to name a head of baseball operations to this point, the quartet of Brian O’Halloran, Eddie Romero, Raquel Ferreira, and Zack Scott appear to have things under control for the time being, at least in the international signing department.

Once this signing does become official, more details are sure to come, so make sure to stay tuned for that.

Red Sox Hire Minnesota Twins Minor League Hitting Coordinator and Hampden Native Peter Fatse to Be New Assistant Hitting Coach

The Red Sox have reportedly hired Minnesota Twins minor league hitting coordinator Peter Fatse to be their new assistant hitting coach, according to Zone Coverage’s Brandon Warne. The report was later confirmed by The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier.

Fatse, 32, will take over for Andy Barkett, who was let go shortly after the conclusion of the 2019 season, and serve under hitting coach Tim Hyers.

Originally drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers as an infielder/outfielder out of the University of Connecticut in the 24th round of the 2009 amateur draft, Fatse spent all of two minor league seasons in the Brewers’ system before spending two more playing independent league ball and eventually retiring in 2012.

The Minnechaug High School graduate also has experience in consulting and coaching, and even founded and ran a hitting academy in Palmer, Ma. prior to joining the Twins organization this past January.

There did not appear to be many other names linked to Boston’s search for an assistant hitting coach and now the attention turns to the club’s pursuit of a pitching coach to join Alex Cora’s staff.

 

Red Sox Have Reportedly Spoken to Former Reds Manager Bryan Price About Pitching Coach Opening

The Red Sox have reportedly spoken to former Cincinnati Reds manager Bryan Price about their vacancy at pitching coach, per Yahoo! Sports’ Tim Brown.

Price, 57, served as Cincinnati’s manger from the start of the 2014 season until April 19th of the 2018 campaign, but does have experience as a pitching coach, spending five years in the role with the Seattle Mariners from 2001-2005, four years in the role with the Arizona Diamondbacks from 2006 until May 2009, and another four years in the role with the Reds prior to his promotion to manager on October 21st, 2013.

In his most recent stint as pitching coach under Dusty Baker’s Reds, Price oversaw a Cincinnati pitching staff that posted a 4.01 team ERA in 2010, a 4.16 team ERA in 2011, a 3.34 team ERA in 2012, and a 3.38 team ERA in 2013.

The Red Sox as a team owned an ERA of 4.70 in 2019, good for the 12th-worst mark in all of baseball.

Price appears to be the first name linked to the Sox’ pitching coach opening since the club reassigned Dana LeVangie two weeks ago.

Red Sox Outright Gorkys Hernandez and Josh Smith to Triple-A Pawtucket

Although no official announcement has been made to this point, the Red Sox outrighted both right-hander Josh Smith and outfielder Gorkys Hernandez from their 40-man roster to Triple-A Pawtucket, per the club’s transaction log.

Based on what I just read on Baseball Reference regarding outright waivers, I would assume that both Hernandez and Smith were placed on waivers on Wednesday and then went 48 hours without being claimed, as the above tweet from MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo mentions.

Hernandez, 32, inked a minor-league deal with Boston last December and slashed .143/.218/.245 with zero home runs and two RBI in 20 games and 57 plate appearances with the big league club after being part of the first round of September call-ups.

Smith, meanwhile, posted an ERA of 5.81 and batting average against of .281 over 18 appearances (two starts) and 31 innings pitched spanning six different stints with Boston. The 32-year-old joined the club as a minor-league free agent back in May of 2018.

As the Red Sox continue to make room on their 40-man roster, it seems to becoming more and more likely that a handful of key prospects will be added to the 40-man by November 20th in order to avoid being eligible for the Rule 5 Draft in December.

 

Red Sox Cut Ties With Knuckleballer Steven Wright

The Red Sox announced on Friday that right-handed pitcher Steven Wright had been released from their active roster.

Wright, 33, had been viewed as a likely non-tender candidate this winter, as he was projected to earn $1.5 million in salary arbitration for the 2020 season.

The knuckleballer has dealt with his fair share of issues, both on and off the field, the last two years.

Prior to the start of the 2018 campaign, Wright was handed down a 15-game suspension for violating Major League Baseball’s domestic violence policy stemming from an arrest in December of 2017.

And just this past March, Wright was once again suspended, this time for 80 games due to violating the league’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment program by testing positive for Growth Hormone Releasing Peptide 2 (GHRP-2).

In 81 career outings (44 starts) for the Red Sox, Wright posted an ERA of 3.86, a FIP of 4.46, and WHIP of 1.33 over 347 2/3 total innings of work.

He made his first and only All-Star team in 2016 but only managed to appear in a total of 31 games in the following three seasons leading to his release on Friday.

 

Red Sox Free Agency Targets: Steve Cishek

Even without a head of baseball operations as things stand right now, the Red Sox are going to be in the market for relief pitching this winter.

Over the course of a disappointing 84-78 campaign in 2019, the Sox bullpen ranked sixth in all of baseball in innings pitched (665.0), 17th in ERA (4.40), eighth in FIP (4.14), 10th in xFIP (4.43), and fifth in fWAR (5.5) while names such as Matt Barnes, Darwinzon Hernandez, Josh Taylor, Marcus Walden, and Brandon Workman emerged as a legitimate core to build around.

In the past few days, both The Athletic’s Jen McCaffrey and MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith have pinpointed a handful of relievers that Boston could target once free agency begins, and one name that stuck out to me was right-hander Steve Cishek.

I should probably preface this by first saying that I am a big Steve Cishek guy, and I’ll explain why now.

Cishek, 33, posted a 2.95 ERA and .210 batting average against over 70 appearances and 64 total innings pitched this past season with the Chicago Cubs, the second of a two-year, $13 million deal he signed back in December of 2017.

A native of Falmouth, Ma., Cishek has experience closing games, as he has racked up 132 career saves between the Cubs, Tampa Bay Rays, Seattle Mariners, St. Louis Cardinals, and Miami Marlins.

Per FanGraphs, Cishek has been worth $9.2 million over the last two seasons, so it is hard to imagine his asking price being all that high.

One thing to be wary of is that the sidearm reliever has dealt with his fair share of issues with his left hip, most recently spending 10 days on the injured list due to left hip inflammation in August.

With a pitch arsenal that heavily relies on a sinker and a slider, as well as a four-seam fastball and changeup, Cishek could provide the Boston bullpen with a unique look from a unique arm slot.

As a noted former Red Sox fan himself, it would be interesting to see how intrigued Cishek would be with a potential homecoming.

Reliving Andrew Benintendi’s ALCS Catch on Its One-Year Anniversary

One year ago Thursday night, October 17th, 2018, the Red Sox were one out away from jumping out to a three-games-to-one lead over the Houston Astros in the American League Championship Series at Minute Maid Park.

Entering the bottom half of the ninth inning with an 8-6 lead to protect after allowing one run to cross the plate in the eighth, former Sox closer Craig Kimbrel walked three of the first five hitters he faced in the frame to fill the bases and put the winning run at first for Astros star third baseman Alex Bregman.

Heading into that at-bat, Kimbrel had thrown just 53% of his 34 pitchers for strikes and even plunked Bregman in the previous inning.

On the very first pitch he saw from Kimbrel this time around, a 97 MPH four-seamer on the inner half of the plate, Bregman ripped laced a line drive to left field, one that was falling quickly as Andrew Benintendi was closing in on it.

Per Statcast, Bregman’s liner had an exit velocity of 86.3 MPH off the bat and 79% chance of being a hit.

If that line drive were to fall in for a hit, it certainly had the potential to clear the bases and give their Astros their second win of the series.

Benintendi had different plans though, as he closed in, sprawled out, and saved the day for the Red Sox with an incredible catch for the third and final out of the contest.

According to Baseball Reference, that catch had a Win Probability added of 18%, the second-highest amount for one play in Game 4 behind only Jackie Bradley Jr.’s two-run home run off Josh James in the fifth inning.

“I thought I got a good jump on it,”Benintendi later said following the Game 4 win. “It wasn’t hit that hard. I thought I could catch it, I timed it up well. At that point, it was do or die.”

Later named the Associated Press’ Play of the Year for 2018, Benintendi’s game-sealing catch was an altering one, and it could have made the difference between the Red Sox eventually topping the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series or getting sent home early by Houston for the second year in a row.

“It was fun. I’m glad I caught it,” Benintendi added.

It was also one of the few times we had seen Benintendi put his emotions on display while on the field to that point.

The 2019 season may not have gone the way the 25-year-old outfielder wanted it to, but the talent he displayed last October surely shows that he is more than capable of bouncing back in 2020.

Red Sox Reportedly Looking to Trade Jackie Bradley Jr. This Offseason

The Red Sox may be looking to trade outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr. this winter, according to MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith.

Bradley Jr., who turns 30 in April, is entering his final year of salary arbitration and is projected to earn $11 million in 2020.

With it already out there that the Sox would look like to bring their payroll below the $208 million luxury tax threshold for next season, Bradley Jr.’s projected 2020 salary may not be in the club’s plans.

As Smith notes, Boston could non-tender their outfielder at any time before the December 2nd deadline, meaning he would become a free agent immediately.

Another possibility is that the team could tender Bradley Jr. a contract, look for a trade partner in the coming months, and potentially release him if no partner is found before Opening Day rosters are set, since, “arbitration contracts aren’t fully guaranteed until a player makes the Opening Day roster.”

Bradley Jr. is coming off a 2019 campaign in which he slashed .225/.317/.421 with 21 home runs and 62 RBI over 147 games played while also providing steady defense in center field.

Given the chance that Boston also deals Mookie Betts this winter, it would be hard to imagine a Red Sox outfield without Betts and Bradley Jr. in it in 2020. More is sure to come once we officially hit the offseason later this month, so stay tuned for that.

Red Sox’ Mookie Betts Projected to Earn $27.7 Million in Final Year of Arbitration, per MLB Trade Rumors

MLB Trade Rumors released their ninth annual salary arbitration projections for all 30 major league clubs pertaining to the 2020 season earlier Wednesday, and according to their initial model, the Red Sox have 12 arbitration-eligible players.

As indicated above, All-Star outfielder Mookie Betts is projected to earn a record-setting $27.7 million in his final year of arbitration before becoming a free agent for the first time next winter.

Since about the time the Sox were eliminated from postseason contention last month, most of the attention regarding the club has turned to what the future holds for Betts.

The recently turned 27-year-old has established himself as one of, if not the best corner outfielder in all of baseball and appears set to test the free agency waters in 2020.

That said, the Red Sox would surely like to keep Betts in Boston beyond next season and have made a handful of extension offers in order to make that happen. There seems to be this notion that Betts does not want to play in Boston even though he has shut that speculation down himself several times.

With how unlikely the chances of Betts agreeing to a contract extension before hitting the open market seem, a trade involving the 2018 American League MVP have come into question.

A player of Betts’ caliber has the ability to replenish Boston’s farm system to a certain extent if that is the direction they so choose, but he is also not a player you come across everyday either.

In regard to analytics, Betts’ has accumulated the second-most fWAR in all of baseball since the start of the 2015 season (35.4), trailing only Mike Trout (44.2) over that time period.

I understand that the Red Sox are hoping to get under the $208 million luxury tax threshold for next season, which would require cutting a serious amount of payroll, but if you are still trying to compete for a postseason spot, or you are telling your fans that anyway, then I just do not see how you can deal a player who makes your team seriously better.

Anyway, I kind of went on a rant there, so here are the rest of the Red Sox’ arbitration projections, courtesy of MLB Trade Rumors:

  • Jackie Bradley Jr. – $11 milliom
  • Sandy Leon – $2.8 million
  • Chris Owings – $3.0 million
  • Mookie Betts – $27.7 million
  • Brandon Workman – $3.4 million
  • Steven Wright – $1.5 million
  • Eduardo Rodriguez – $9.5 million
  • Matt Barnes – $3.0 million
  • Heath Hembree – $1.6 million
  • Andrew Benintendi – $4.9 million
  • Marco Hernandez – $700K
  • Gorkys Hernandez – $1.0 million

Out of the names above, some are likely to get non-tendered, while others like Andrew Benintendi and Marco Hernandez are entering arbitration for the first time in their careers and will see decently significant raises in pay.

Three Red Sox Prospects Selected to 2019 Fall Stars Game

Three Red Sox prospects will be representing the Peoria Javelinas in the 2019 Arizona Fall League Fall Stars Game on Saturday night, as announced by MLB.com earlier Tuesday.

Outfielders Jarren Duran and Marcus Wilson, as well as infielder C.J. Chatham, have impressed thus far with Peoria despite the club only sporting a 8-7 record with 13 games remaining in the AFL season.

Ranked as the club’s top prospect out of the three and fourth overall, Duran is slashing .262/.340/.381 with one home run, two doubles, two stolen bases, and three RBI over 11 games played. The 23-year-old will be one of six prospects who participated in the All-Star Futures Game in Cleveland back in July.

Chatham, who turns 25 in December, is ranked as the Sox’ ninth overall prospect, and has put together a .300/.364/.400 slash line to go along with three stolen bases, four doubles, and six RBI through 10 games.

Wilson, meanwhile, has only played in six games for the Javelinas, but is slashing .318/.423/.500 with one home run, two stolen bases, and eight RBI over that span. He is second on the team in terms of OPS (.923), trailing only Pittsburgh Pirates prospect Jared Oliva (1.174). in that category.

Acquired from the Arizona Diamondbacks this past April, the 23-year-old Wilson is ranked as the Sox’ 17th overall prospect, per MLB.com.

According to SoxProspects.com, both Chatham and Wilson will need to be added to Boston’s 40-man roster come November in order to avoid protection from the Rule 5 Draft.

Bobby Dalbec, the club’s No. 2 prospect, will also need to be added, so it will be interesting to see what moves the Red Sox make in order to create space for three of their prospects.