The Red Sox have added reliever Dan Runzler on a minors deal, per John Dreker of Pirates Prospects (via Twitter). It isn’t yet known whether he’ll receive an invitation to participate in MLB camp.
A southpaw who’ll soon turn 34, Runzler has appeared in five big league seasons, though he hasn’t been a substantial contributor since 2013. All told, he owns a 3.89 ERA with 9.7 K/9 and 5.4 BB/9 over 76 1/3 innings at the game’s highest level.
Runzler has mostly toiled at Triple-A and in the Atlantic League over recent years, but did briefly crack the bigs with the Pirates in 2017. He possesses mid-nineties heat from the left side, but hasn’t consistently been able to command it. In 2018, he threw 48 innings of 2.81 ERA ball with the Sugar Land Skeeters, racking up 58 strikeouts but also doling out 27 free passes.
Boston fans clamoring for some bullpen help likely won’t be appeased by this addition, any more than they were by the club’s prior winter moves. Runzler joins Colten Brewer, Zach Putnam, and Jenrry Mejia as low-risk relief candidates that have been brought on board this winter.
who needs Kimbrel when you have Runtser?
Same walk rates of late it seems from Kimbrel
wut
Finally. Also xabial comments on other trade rumors sister sights fyi
Nothing significant since 2013… Interesting signing. Lefty throwing mid 90s is intriguing if he can do it
Seems like Dombrowski and the Red Sox are hoping to catch lightning in a bottle with one of these minor league reliever signings. Most if not all of these guys are a waste of time.
Yes, but they’ve been successful doing it in the past. No reason not to try again
Sox apparently see something there no one else does, and I hope it works out. I follow the Pirates pretty closely, but I have no recollection of this guy whatsoever.
I remember the name but can’t remember seeing him actually pitch.
There’s no good reason to remember him. For some unfathomable reason the Pirates brought him up for the September 40-man roster in 2017 even though he hadn’t pitched all that well in AAA, and he got beat like a pinata.
Sox can make a run with this re tooled bullben, my concern is who will be the Joe kelly of this team come next fall. Kimbrel was too inconsistent to say he was a sure fire subtraction to a team with world series aspirations is a stretch.
Kimbrel replacement?
He has horrible BB issues.
Who?!
this takes them out of the running for Kimbrel
Wow that’s a huge signing!!
Boston fans are spoiled…..
Started out with the Giants as a reliever and did not improve.
Why do Boston fans cry so much ? Should the whole baseball world concede to the almighty Red Sox. Play the games and get a towel for your tears.
Throw in Yankees fans in your generalization as well. In fact, you probably are one.
Guys like Shawn Kelley are signing for a couple million dollars with teams like the Rangers, and the Sox are signing Dan Runzler and Jenrry Mejia? If they were so strapped for cash, maybe they should have signed a couple top relievers like the Yankees did instead of signing Eovaldi. I mean I love the Eovaldi signing, but this is just getting embarrasing and absurd…
At first I always thought the signing was about trading porcello now I’m starting to believe it’s just a makeshift bullpen regular season and use your starters as relievers in the postseason.
I’m really starting to think Dombrowski may just be waiting until near mid-season to trade for a closer. Hopefully Kirby Yates.
Happy to see John Dreker get some props.
Pirates prospects is the best site for Pirates minor league info. Well worth the subscription
Muchado, Harper and Runzler…at least one of the “big 3” has signed.
After all the relievers they passed on, I’d be willing to just have Tony Sipp for a year!