Nov. 27: Johnson went unclaimed on waivers and has been outrighted to Triple-A Pawtucket, the team announced. He doesn’t have the requisite service time to reject that assignment in favor of free agency, so he’ll remain with the Red Sox organization and hope for another chance at the MLB level in 2020.
Nov. 25: The Red Sox have placed southpaw Brian Johnson on outright waivers, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (Twitter link). That starts a two-day window within which Johnson can be claimed.
Johnson, who’ll soon turn 29, struggled to a 6.02 ERA in 40 1/3 innings in Boston last year. Elbow troubles limited his availability and perhaps contributed to his ineffectiveness.
A first-round pick in 2012, Johnson turned in excellent results and overcame some challenges on his way up the farm ladder. He wasn’t much of a strikeout hurler but was obviously tough to square up, as opposing hitters produced meager batting averages on balls in play and didn’t muster many home runs.
That has generally been the case in the majors as well, as Johnson averages less than 90 mph with his fastball and doesn’t get many swings and misses. But he was able to limit the hard contact and post a 4.34 ERA in the 130 2/3 MLB innings he threw before the ’19 campaign.
He’s horrible to the fans
Why?
“You’ve been… thunderstruck!”
Ladies and gentlemen, introducing your new Mets closer…
Yes Indeed. Lunchwagons Big Move!
he’s a good minors contract candidate.
Fiiiiiinally.
This is such sad news, I was hoping he would rebound after arm trouble.
Another failed 1st round draft pick. Hopefully Bloom lives up to his draft and developing reputation.
If you compare it to the large majority of first round picks who never sniff the majors, getting a number of quasi serviceable seasons from Johnson is not a rousing success, but far from a complete loss.
From 2009 Rays #1 picks are um, not too bueno.
It’s. About. Time.
Never liked him. Maybe a change of scenery will help him…maybe not.
He was never the same after he was a passenger in a carjacking whose driver was shot by a ricochet bullet.
i do feel quite bad for the guy. he clearly has talent but that incident and subsequent injuries have really done damage to him.
This guy sucks glad they got rid of him
Smart move. A reliever with the flattest fastball I have ever seen. Literally 3/3 in calling homeruns he’s given up.
I guess you have never seen Diaz pitch? 🙂
One of the worst pitchers to share a name with a rock band singer. He’s no Ian Anderson.
Japan. He just looks like the type of guy who’d end up there
Another Former Red Sox 1st round pick named Kris Johnson has thrived in Japan.
Hopefully he’ll wind up back in AC/DC now.
Glad to see Chaim Bloom making moves like this. Red Sox have historically held on to high draft picks too long; Bloom brings a Patriots mentality with him which is long overdue for this organization.
Now he needs to figure out how to pawn David Price or Nathan Eovaldi off on some other team and convince Pedroia to retire! Need to save up some money to resign Mookie in free agency next season!
Dorothy, why should Pedie give up $$ on the back end when he signed a then team friendly deal years ago? Is it his fault that he got injured on a questionable slide? It’s why his contract is guaranteed. Saying Pedie should give up money is worse than telling Betts he should give a hometown discount.
For once you and I are in complete agreement.
or telling Jacoby Ellsbury “we ain’t paying you” your guaranteed contract.
Agreed 100%.
Not to let Machado off the hook, because f him, but Pedey’s knees were already bad.
Come on already!!! He has played 6 games in two years!!! He never was a team leader when Barnes threw at Machado, he did not back up his pitcher who was trying to get Machado back for sliding into him
Give him his day at Fenway, give him a job in the front office, and work out an injury settlement and retire him already
Pedroia isn’t retiring. Give it a rest.
The Globe had an article, I think by Peter Abraham, explaining why even if Pedroia retired the money would still be counted toward the luxury tax. Further, the people who actually know him say he really wants to make a comeback. I don’t know if he can, but his drive is authentic. I would love it if he could do it.
Retire? Pedroia signed a below market..hometown discount contract…and you want him to give up the money owed him… it’s a contract… if he hit 400/50hr/150rbi would you have insisted they pay him double what’s owed on his contract. Now you want him to give up what he’s owed?
Nice guy but not major league material
A soft tossing lefty will always be MLB material.
When reached for comment, Alex Cora stated: “We’ve got to get better.”
LOL! This got me.
Wright, Velazquez, and Johnson were silently the backbone of the 2018 World Series team. They provided help to that the best MLB team of 2000s so far. Best Red Sox ever. Why is everybody forgetting their contributions? Nava, Gnomes, Victirino, and Uehara rose from the shades to lead the Red Sox World Series team.
Past is the past you mean’t the 2010s
Can you name a better team from the aughts? The closest I can think of is the 1998 Yankees
Wright pitched like 40 innings that year.
Johnson will be claimed by some team I’m sure. Every team needs a left-handed reliever Steve least during Spring Training.
if someone claims him in the Rule 5 draft, does he still go to arbitration?
Awesome. Made it through waivers and still part of Red Sox. Yes 2019 wasn’t good for him and team but at least we get another look for 2020. I actually like him and think there is some value there.
43 posts talking about this then…”Updated. Brian Johnson is still on the Red Sox and nothing happened.”
Whomp whomp