Tag: matt strahm

Red Sox officially sign Matt Strahm to one-year deal; left-hander will earn $3 million in 2022

The Red Sox have officially signed left-hander Matt Strahm to a one-year deal for the 2022 season, the club announced on Tuesday. A corresponding move was not needed since Boston’s 40-man roster was previously at 39 players.

Strahm, who first agreed to a contract with the Sox over the weekend, was seen at the JetBlue Park complex in Fort Myers earlier Tuesday morning and must have passed his physical. The lefty reliever will wear the No. 55 for Boston.

As MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reported on Sunday, Strahm will earn $3 million with the Red Sox in 2022. He became a free agent this off-season when the Padres did not tender him a contract back in November.

The 30-year-old southpaw had spent the last four seasons with San Diego, though he was limited to just six appearances (one start) and 6 2/3 innings last year after undergoing surgery to repair the patellar tendon in his right knee in October 2020.

Before that, Strahm proved to be an important bullpen piece for the Friars, posting a 2.61 ERA with 15 strikeouts to just four walks over 19 relief outings and 20 2/3 innings pitched during the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign.

A former 21st-round draft pick of the Royals out of Neosho County Community College in 2012, Strahm debuted for Kansas City in 2016 and was traded to San Diego the following summer. He is one of the few major-leaguers who was born in the state of Nebraska.

Listed at 6-foot-2 and 190 pounds, Strahm’s arsenal includes a four-seam fastball, slider, curveball, sinker, and changeup. He does not turn 31 until November and joins a Red Sox bullpen that includes fellow lefties Austin Davis, Darwinzon Hernandez, and Josh Taylor.

(Picture of Matt Strahm: Ralph Fresco/Getty Images)

Former Red Sox reliever Adam Ottavino agrees to one-year deal with Mets, per report

Former Red Sox reliever Adam Ottavino is returning to the Big Apple, as the free agent reliever has reportedly agreed to a one-year, $4 million deal with the New York Mets that includes an additional $1 million in performance bonuses. The New York Post’s Joel Sherman was the first to report the details of the contract.

Ottavino, 36, spent just one season with the Sox after being acquired from the Yankees alongside pitching prospect Franklin German in a surprising trade made last January.

Following a two-year run in the Bronx, Ottavino played out the final season of his three-year, $27 million contract in Boston. Across a team-leading 69 relief appearances in 2021, the veteran right-hander posted a 4.21 ERA and 3.96 FIP with 71 strikeouts and 35 walks over 62 innings pitched. In postseason play he yielded just one run in four innings of work.

Though suiting up for the Red Sox allowed Ottavino to reconnect with his alma mater in nearby Northeastern University, it seems apparent that the Brooklyn native enjoys pitching close to home since he has signed with a New York-based club in his only two stints as a free agent thus far.

While the Sox may have lost a veteran presence like Ottavino in free agency, they did reportedly add two other free agent relievers in left-handers Matt Strahm and Jake Diekman on Sunday.

(Picture of Adam Ottavino: Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)

Red Sox to sign left-handed reliever Jake Diekman, per report

The Red Sox have reportedly agreed to sign free-agent reliever Jake Diekman, pending a physical, according to MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo. The details of the contract are not yet known, though Cotillo reports it is believed to be a multi-year deal.

Diekman, 35, has spent the last 2 1/2 seasons with the Athletics after getting traded from the Royals in July 2019. Most recently, the left-hander posted a 3.86 ERA and 4.46 FIP to go along with 83 strikeouts to 34 walks across 67 appearances (60 2/3 innings pitched) for Oakland in 2021.

A former 30th round draft pick of the Phillies out of Cloud County Community College in 2007, Diekman has previously played for five different teams in the Phils, Rangers, Diamondbacks, Royals, and A’s. The Red Sox have been linked to the Nebraska native in the past and now acquire his services via free agency.

Listed at 6-foot-4 and 195 pounds, Diekman operates with a four-pitch mix that consists of a four-seam fastball, a slider, a sinker, and a changeup. His 31.7% strikeout rate and 35.1% whiff rate were among the top marks in the majors last year.

Against right-handed hitters in 2021, Diekman held opponents to a .200/.289/.421 slash line. Against left-handed hitters, he yielded a slash line of .229/.379/.337.

By adding Diekman, the Sox have truly bolstered the left side of their bullpen after reportedly inking fellow southpaw Matt Strahm to a one-year deal earlier on Sunday.

Beyond those two, Boston currently has three other left-handed relievers on their major-league roster in Austin Davis, Darwinzon Hernandez, and Josh Taylor. That being said, it’s likely that chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom and Co. are not yet done when it comes to adding bullpen depth ahead of Opening Day.

(Picture of Jake Diekman: Kathryn Riley/Getty Images)

Red Sox agree to one-year deal with former Padres reliever Matt Strahm, per report

The Red Sox have reportedly agreed to sign free agent reliever Matt Strahm to a one-year deal that is pending a physical, according to FanSided’s Robert Murray.

Per MLB Network’s Jon Heyman, the contract is worth $3 million.

Strahm, 30, is coming off a 2021 season with the Padres in which he appeared in just six games (one start) and pitched a total of 6 2/3 innings due to multiple stints on the injured list. The left-hander initially underwent surgery to repair the patellar tendon in his right knee in October 2020 and did not make his 2021 debut until August 3. He was then placed on the injured list again two weeks later because of right knee inflammation, which prematurely ended his year.

The Padres non-tendered Strahm in late November, allowing him to hit the open market right before the lockout began.

A former 21st round draft pick of the Royals out of Neosho County Community College in 2012, Strahm made his major-league debut for Kansas City in July 2016. The lefty spent parts of two seasons with the Royals before being traded to the Padres in 2017.

Prior to his injury-riddled campaign last year, Strahm had proven to be a key piece of the Friars’ bullpen picture. Across 106 outings (21 starts) from 2018-2020, the North Dakota native posted a 3.66 ERA and 4.14 FIP to go along with 202 strikeouts to 47 walks over 196 2/3 total innings of work.

Listed at 6-foot-2 and 190 pounds, Strahm operates with a five-pitch arsenal that consists of a four-seam fastball, a slider, a curveball, a sinker, and a changeup. He held opponents to a .080 batting average against with his sinker in 2020, per Baseball Savant.

In reaching an agreement with Strahm, who does not turn 31 until November, the Red Sox have added an intriguing southpaw to their bullpen mix. Of course, Strahm was not the only left-handed reliever Boston reportedly signed on Sunday.

(Picture of Matt Strahm: Denis Poroy/Getty Images)