New York Yankees Reportedly “Shifting Focus” to #RedSox Free Agent Nathan Eovaldi with Patrick Corbin Joining Washington Nationals.

Earlier Tuesday afternoon, MLB Network’s Jon Morosi reported the following:

This tweet came mere minutes after it was reported that free-agent LHP Patrick Corbin signed a six-year/$140 million deal with the Washington Nationals, thus eliminating New York, who appeared to be the favorites to sign Corbin, from the sweepstakes.

Despite already re-signing veteran lefty CC Sabathia and acquiring another southpaw in the form of James Paxton from the Seattle Mariners, it still appears as though Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman is doing everything in his power to shore up his starting rotation.

With Corbin, 29, off the table now, it only makes sense that a club in need of pitching would turn its attention to another attractive option, and when taking age and recency into account, that would be none other than RHP Nathan Eovaldi.

Eovaldi, 28, spent two seasons with New York from 2015 to 2016, where he posted a 4.45 ERA and 1.39 WHIP over 51 appearances (48 starts) and 279 total innings pitched before being released in November of 2016.

A two-time recipient of Tommy John Surgery, Eovaldi signed a one-year deal that included a player option with the Tampa Bay Rays prior to the start of the 2017 season. A deal that ultimately ended with the Texas native in a Red Sox uniform and a World Series champion in 2018.

Now, thanks to his stellar first ever postseason in a contract year, Eovaldi is set for a huge pay-day this winter.

It has been reported that the right-hander would like to return to Boston, and that feeling is mutual, according to President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski, who spoke with media on Monday night at the premiere of the Red Sox World Series documentary.

“We’ve expressed we do have interest in bringing Nathan back,” Dombrowski said. “We’ve talked to him, but so have a lot of other people. There’s a lot of interest in him.”

Late last week, the Houston Astros, a team the Red Sox defeated on their way to that World Series title, were seen as a club heavily interested in acquiring the services of Eovaldi, and now the New York Yankees have joined in as well.

There are more than likely other clubs in the mix as well, meaning the Red Sox will really have to make a legitimate offer to retain Eovaldi’s services.

It’s a tough spot to be in, but Eovaldi has already proven what he can do on the biggest stage in the biggest market. Unless Dombrowski feels confident in other options out in the trade or free agency market, Eovaldi should be the way to go. Pay the man his money and shore up one of the best rotations in the American League.

 

#RedSox and Tyler Thornburg Avoid Arbitration, Come to Terms on One-Year, Non-Guaranteed Deal for 2019 Season.

The Boston Red Sox announced on Friday morning that they had made the following roster moves:

There were legitimate rumors circulating the past few days that Thornburg had a chance to be non-tendered by the Red Sox today, but the two sides came to an agreement prior to the 8 PM ET deadline.

Per NBC Sports Boston’s Evan Drellich, Thornburg’s new deal is worth, “$1.75 million with $400K in potential bonuses for games pitched.”

Since being acquired by Boston from the Milwaukee Brewers prior to the start of the 2017 season, Thornburg, 30, did not make his Red Sox debut until this past July.

In the 25 games he appeared in as a reliever during the 2018 campaign, the right-hander posted an unsightly 5.63 ERA and .901 OPS against to go along with 21 strikeouts and 10 walks over 24 total innings of work.

Limited this year because of thoracic outlet surgery on his throwing shoulder in March, Thornburg was eventually shut down in late September and did not pitch for Boston in the postseason.

Known by Red Sox fans as the pitcher the club gave up slugging infielder Travis Shaw and promising prospect Mauricio Dubon for, Thornburg’s tenure in Boston has been far from memorable, and he’ll have to make the Opening Day roster out of spring training in order for his 2019 salary to be guaranteed.

Red Sox President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski also announced on Friday that the team will tender contracts for the 2019 season to all 29 players on the Red Sox major league roster who are unsigned.

 

The #RedSox, Along with Four Other Teams, Reportedly Have Strong Interest in Acquiring Mariners All-Star Closer Edwin Diaz.

On Tuesday night, the New York Post’s Joel Sherman reported that the Boston Red Sox were one of five teams interested in acquiring the services of Mariners closer and 2018 American League Reliever of the Year Edwin Diaz.

In his report, Sherman states that outside of Boston, other players for Diaz include the New York Mets, New York Yankees, Atlanta Braves, and Philadelphia Phillies.

Given the fact that the Mariners dealt their ace, James Paxton, to the Yankees earlier in the month, it does appear as though Seattle GM Jerry Dipoto’s club is heading towards a retooling period beginning in 2019.

With that in mind, parting ways with the best closer in the American League West in exchange for a haul of prospects makes sense.

At just 24 years old, not only is Diaz coming off an elite season in which he recorded 57 saves and posted a K/9 of 15.2, he also has four more years of team control left before hitting free agency in 2022.

The Red Sox certainly do not have the farm system to produce the prospects the Mariners would be seeking in this potential deal, but if the club’s interest is that strong, there may be a way to get it done, albeit at a hefty price.

“Seattle is willing to consider less if a team takes on [Robinson] Cano, who is 36 and served an 80-game suspension last year for testing positive for a banned substance,” Sherman reports.

An eight-time All-Star, Cano inked a 10-year, $240 million deal with the Mariners prior to the start of the 2014 season, meaning there is still five years and $120 million remaining on his contract.

With the Red Sox 2019 payroll already looking like it’s going to be one of the more expensive in baseball once again, it’s hard to imagine a scenario where President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski, or even principal owner John Henry, would be willing to take that much money on, especially when the team still owes second baseman Dustin Pedroia $40 million over the next three years.

Similar to how Dombrowski acquired another elite closer and current free agent in Craig Kimbrel from the San Diego Padres with three-years remaining on his previous contract, landing Diaz for at least his age 25 to 28 seasons would be something.

But, barring a way the Red Sox find a position for Cano to play on a regular basis, I don’t believe the club has the prospects to offer that the Yankees, Phillies, or Braves have in order to get a deal done.

Regardless of that though, Diaz would be a fantastic addition to the end of a bullpen that had their struggles throughout the 2018 season. Winter Meetings begin on December 9th in Las Vegas, so maybe talks will materialize there.

Longtime #RedSox Minor Leaguer Dan Butler Retires as World Series Champion, Joins Arizona Diamondbacks Coaching Staff as Bullpen Catcher.

The Arizona Diamondbacks announced on Tuesday night that they had finalized their major league coaching staff for the upcoming 2019 season.

Among the additions was now retired and former Red Sox catcher Dan Butler, and that was all but confirmed with a tweet from the Pawtucket Red Sox on Wednesday afternoon.

Butler, 32, was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Red Sox in 2009 and spent nine out of 10 professional seasons with the club.

A product of the University of Arizona, Butler was never deemed a big name prospect by Boston. Instead, he was viewed more as organizational depth who really never got an opportunity to see regular playing time in the majors.

In the two times he was called up by the Red Sox, the backstop appeared in a total of seven games in 2014, and then appeared in two games this past season while both Christian Vazquez and Blake Swihart were on the disabled list.

Over that short span, Butler slashed .200/.222/.320 with no home runs and three RBI, one of which came in a game against the Baltimore Orioles in August.

Outside of the Red Sox, Butler also spent one season in the Washington Nationals system following a trade between the two clubs in early 2015.

There, with Triple A Syracuse, the Arizona native posted a .631 OPS over 83 games played and was later re-signed to a minor league contract by the Red Sox prior to the start of spring training in 2016.

In total, Butler appeared in 768 minor league games in a span of 10 years, and finished with a slash line of .253/.345/.397 as well as 61 homers and 343 RBI.

It certainly wasn’t Hall of Fame worthy, but Butler goes out as a World Series champion and a well-respected member of the Red Sox organization.

He should receive approximately $416,837.72 in postseason shares from the Red Sox winning the World Series and his presence will be missed.

With Arizona though, Butler is closer to home and joins a few names Red Sox fans should be familiar with, such as Diamondbacks GM Mike Hazen, manager Torey Lovullo, and new assistant hitting coach Eric Hinske.

Hanley Ramirez Is Hitting Home Runs in Winter League and I Am Here for It.

The Boston Red Sox released Hanley Ramirez on May 30th of this past season after he slashed .254/.313/.395 with six home runs and 29 RBI over 44 games in his fourth year with the club.

Ramirez, 34, did not latch on with another club for the remainder of the 2018 campaign, but he’s back in action now with Tigres del Licey of the Dominican Winter League.

Joining the Santo Domingo-based organization, the oldest franchise in the DR, for the fourth time in his career on November 13th, Ramirez entered Sunday with a .793 OPS in five games and had yet to hit a home run.

That all changed in the bottom of the third inning of Sunday’s contest against the Aguilas Cibaenas though, as the three-time All-Star ripped his first meaningful home run since May 12th, a three-run shot off of left-hander Framber Valdez to pull the Tigres even at four runs a piece.

The Tigres went on to defeat the Aguilas Cibaenas by a final score of 6-5 to improve to 17-17 on the season.

Ramirez finished the night 1/3 with that lone home run. He has served as the DH in all six Winter League games he has appeared in.

Entering his age 35 season in 2019, the Dominican native seems more suited for a spot with an American League team at this stage in his career. It will also be interesting to see who Ramirez’s suitors are in the coming weeks and what kind of role the 14-year veteran is willing to take on.

 

#RedSox Add Top Prospect Michael Chavis to 40-Man Roster Among Other Roster Moves Ahead of Rule 5 Draft.

As the Rule 5 Draft approaches, all 30 Major League Baseball clubs were responsible for setting their 40-man rosters before 8 PM ET on Tuesday so that certain players will not be eligible to be drafted by other teams come the last day of Winter Meetings in December.

Before Tuesday, the Red Sox’s 40-man roster hovered at 35 with some prevalent prospects yet to be added.

That all changed this evening when the Red Sox sent out a press release/tweet announcing the following roster transactions:

Players such as the organization’s top prospect Michael Chavis, LHP Darwinzon Hernandez, and RHP Travis Lakins being added to the 40-man do not come as much of a surprise.

RHP William Cuevas, who appeared in nine games, one of which was a start, for the Red Sox in 2018, was released so that he could pursue an opportunity overseas with the KT Wiz of the Korea Baseball Organization.

RHP Austin Maddox, who made the ALDS roster for Boston back in 2017, was essentially cut from the 40-man, as he was outrighted to Triple A Pawtucket.

And finally, other than the trade for RHP Colten Brewer that you can read bout here, the Red Sox also added LHP Josh Taylor and RHP Denyi Reyes, two pitching prospects, to their major league roster to wrap up a crazy day around baseball.

With the club’s current 40-man roster now standing at 39 players, it is a bit puzzling why one spot was left empty.

1B Josh Ockimey, 23 and ranked as Boston’s 10th best prospect on MLB.com, hit 20 home runs and collected 70 RBI in 117 games between Double A Portland and Triple A Pawtucket, but was left off the 40-man roster.

Unless Ockimey’s shortcomings, such as a .460 OPS against left-handed pitchers at the Triple A level, are enough to keep teams away, it would not be a shock if the 2014 fifth round pick is selected in the upcoming Rule 5 Draft.

Anyway, keep in mind that the roster you see before you is far from concrete.

With the possibility of names such as Nathan Eovaldi, Joe Kelly, and Craig Kimbrel coming back as well as other free agents, moves will need to be made in order to get those players a spot on the 25-man roster. Meaning that there is much more to come, so stay tuned for that.

Also, if you want to check out more about the prospects listed above, here is MLB.com’s list of the top 30 prospects in the Red Sox’s system.

#RedSox Acquire RHP Colten Brewer from San Diego Padres.

In a slew of several roster moves, the Red Sox announced on Tuesday evening that they had officially acquired right-handed reliever Colten Brewer from the San Diego Padres in exchange for infield prospect Esteban Quiroz.

Reported earlier in the day, this transaction provides Dave Dombrowski with another fascinating addition to his bullpen.

At the age of 26, Brewer just broke in with the Padres this year after spending different parts of six seasons with three different organizations, where he posted a 5.59 ERA and .357 BAA over 11 relief appearances and 9.2 innings pitched.

A former fourth round pick of the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2011, Brewer, per Statcast, relies on four different pitches, his cutter, his curveball, his four-seam fastball, and his slider.

Brewer

Procuring a swing rate of 36.6% in 2018, Brewer, a native of Dallas, Texas, will look to provide his new club with a different kind of look out of the bullpen in 2019.

On the other side of this deal, the Red Sox parted ways with minor league infielder Esteban Quiroz.

Ranked as Boston’s 28th best prospect over at SoxProspects.com, Quiorz initially joined the organization as an international free agent from Mexico last November.

In his age 26 and first minor league season in the states, Quiroz slashed .283/.406/.547 to go along with seven home runs and 31 RBI over a span of 32 games between the Gulf Coast League Red Sox and Double A Portland Sea Dogs.

The trade was made official at approximately 4:47 PM ET.

That, along with the roster moves I previously mentioned, puts the Red Sox 40-man roster at 39.

I will have more on the other moves later.

David Price Is Named 2018 American League Comeback Player of the Year.

After appearing in just 16 total games (11 starts) due to multiple stints on the disabled list in 2017, David Price re-emerged once again as one of the more dominant pitchers in the American League in 2018, and was recognized for that effort on Tuesday afternoon when he was named the AL Comeback Player of the Year.

Making 30 starts in his third season with Boston, the left-hander posted a solid 3.58 ERA and .230 batting average against to go along with 177 strikeouts over 176 innings pitched.

The Tennessee native also led his club with 18 quality starts in his 11th big league season.

Finishing with a 16-7 record, the Red Sox went 22-8 in games Price pitched in over the course of the 2018 regular season.

In the postseason, when the lights shined brightest, the Vanderbilt alum seemingly exercised his October demons to the tune of a 2.59 ERA over 24.1 total innings pitched in the ALCS against the Houston Astros and World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Per MLB.com, the Comeback Player of the Year Award is awarded to, “one player in each League who has re-emerged on the field during the season.”

Pretty simple explanation there, but regardless of that, well deserved for someone who consistently dealt with a great deal of scrutiny from both fans and media and turned it into a championship.

Remember, the Red Sox do not win the 2018 World Series without David Price.

This particular honor marks the second time in three years that a Red Sox player was named AL Comeback Player of the Year and first since Rick Porcello won it following his Cy Young Award winning campaign in 2016.

 

Nine Teams, Including the #RedSox, Are Reportedly Interested in Free Agent RHP Nathan Eovaldi.

On Sunday, The Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo reported that up to eight teams not named the Boston Red Sox are interested in acquiring the services of free agent RHP Nathan Eovaldi.

“Nathan Eovaldi, RHP, free agent — The early suitors are the Brewers, Phillies, Braves, Angels, Red Sox, White Sox, Blue Jays, Padres, and Gianrts. There’s likely to be more. Eovaldi would love to stay in Boston and the Red Sox will take their best shot.”

Given that Eovaldi will only be 29 next season and no compensatory draft pick will have to be given up to sign him, it makes sense that the right-hander has a high volume of suitors this early in the offseason.

Out of the clubs listed above, I would venture to say that about five are intending to contend for a World Series title in 2019.

The Brewers, Braves, and defending champion Red Sox are all coming off postseason appearances this October, while teams like the Phillies and Angels may have come up short this year, but have the resources to bounce back in 2019.

On the other side of this spectrum, the White Sox, Blue Jays, Padres, and Giants all finished with losing records this past season, but seem keen on at least making things interesting next year.

Take for instance the reports that the White Sox appear to be in on a number of big-money free agents this winter, such as Bryce Harper and Manny Machado, or the reports that the Padres have been interesting in adding a high-end starter, such as Noah Syndergaard, for some time now.

As for the Blue Jays and Giants, well, neither club seems to be in the best position to compete in 2019, but both were in the postseason as recently as 2016, so there’s that.

In terms of what the Red Sox should do, that depends on how much they truly value Eovaldi.

Like Cafardo reports above, the Texas native has made it clear that he would like to remain in a Red Sox uniform for the forseeable future, but that will obviously come at a decently hefty price.

There are other starting pitching options, internal and on the free agency market, but Eovaldi has already proven that he can do what others can’t, pitch on the biggest stage in the biggest market with the spotlight on him. A 1.61 postseason ERA is quite evident of that.

If retaining Eovaldi equates to moving on from free agent reliever Joe Kelly, then I believe that is a move Dave Dombrowksi has to be willing to make in order to round out what should be one of the best starting rotations in the American League.

#RedSox Sign 2018 World Series MVP Steve Pearce to One-Year Deal.

The Red Sox announced Friday evening that they had come to an agreement with first baseman Steve Pearce on a one-year, $6.25 million contract through the 2019 season.

Pearce, 35, was acquired by Boston from the Toronto Blue Jays back on June 26th in a two-player deal.

A soon to be free agent, the journeyman infielder made his presence felt immediately with his new club, as he finished the 2018 campaign with a solid .279/.394/.507 slash line to go along with seven home runs and 26 RBI over 50 games in a Red Sox uniform.

More importantly, Pearce came through with multiple clutch performances in October, including a two-homer night in the fifth and deciding game of the 2018 World Series, which ultimately led him to being named the Fall Classic’s Most Valuable Player.

“We’re thrilled to have Steve back with us for another year as we think he’s a great fit for our club,” said President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski. “Obviously, we all saw what kind of impact he can have on the field, especially with the Postseason that he had. He also provides good depth and balance from the right side for us.”

Entering his 13th year in the big leagues in 2019, the Florida native will more than likely take on the same platoon role he had at first base with Mitch Moreland over the latter half of the 2018 season.

On the business side of things, the $6.25 million Pearce will earn in 2019 is the same amount he earned in both of the last two seasons with the Blue Jays and Red Sox.

With Pearce now taken care of, here’s a list of the remaining free agents who ended their year with Boston:

RHP Craig Kimbrel
RHP Nathan Eovaldi
RHP Joe Kelly
LHP Drew Pomeranz
INF Brandon Phillips
2B Ian Kinsler