The Red Sox announced Wednesday that righty Mike Shawaryn has been designated for assignment in order to open a 40-man roster spot for newly claimed infielder Christian Arroyo. Righty Marcus Walden was optioned to the alternate training site to open a spot on the 28-man roster.
A fifth-rounder back in 2016, Shawaryn was considered one of the better arms in a thin Boston system from 2017-19, but he struggled in both Triple-A and particularly in the big leagues in 2019. Last season saw Shawaryn pitch to a 4.52 ERA with a lackluster 76-to-49 K/BB ratio in 89 2/3 frames with Triple-A Pawtucket. He was crushed for 22 runs on 26 hits (five homers) and 13 walks with 29 strikeouts in 20 1/3 innings in his first taste of the Majors.
Prior to a forgettable 2019 campaign, Shawaryn had a solid minor league track record. He’d never posted an ERA higher than 3.93 at any given level, and he turned in an impressive showing in a brief tour through the 2018 Arizona Fall League (three runs, 11 hits, four walks, 15 strikeouts in 12 2/3 innings). Shawaryn has worked primarily as a starter in the minors but did make a dozen relief outings with Pawtucket last season. Shawaryn has a minor league option remaining beyond 2020, which could enhance his appeal to other teams.
For the Red Sox, this only further distances the organization from the crop of prospects inherited by new chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom — a relatively common trend when a new regime takes over a baseball ops department. The Sox have moved on from Sam Travis (outrighted, traded), Brian Johnson (released) and Shawaryn in the past nine months — all former top-10 prospects within the organization.
Musical roster spots. As the music plays.
Hopefully they’re playing power metal during musical roster spots.
Speaking of musical roster
Jose Peraza – ops .611
Brock Holt – ops .366
Neither making much of a difference to their team, but there is a difference…..
Brock was a solid player while he was with the Red Sox, but it was time to move on….
No it wasn’t. In fairness stats in this crazy situation can be thrown out. There has not been a normal routine and many players likely reluctantly are playing with their minds elsewhere. Holt should have been told to get your best offer and if you want, the team would match it. Again, just my take.
As to the article, no regimes or not, teams make decisions when there are no options left (I don’t recall if MS had any remaing but BJ and ST both did not).
10 out of the 14 pitchers on this roster are at best Triple A pitchers…. Red Sox Brass should be embarrassed. Chaim Bloom has this off season to fix this mess.. so far not impressed at all with any of his moves/decisions. He needs to trade JBJ, Pillar, Moreland before trade deadline for Pitching Prospects.
They’ve had 4 championships in the last 16 years. It’s been a good run. Probably time trade off some guys for prospects. It’s a shame Sale went down with TJS. They’ve already traded Betts and Price might as well make it a full tear down and hope to compete in a few years with prospects gained in trades. Not every team can be the Dodgers and Yankees and have unlimited funds.
Kind of have to take McGriff’s side on this one. The Red Sox just got bellow the luxury tax line after back to back consecutive years and you want them to solve it on the free agent market?
Also, you need to look at the wider world. This year, players that don’t normally get jobs are getting them. I’ve watched the Braves pick up pitching options that otherwise would probably barely make it in AAA.
I mostly agree, though I would characterize the Red Sox as having nearly as much money year in and year out as the Dodgers and the Yankees.
As with the Cubs, Boston’s fortunes are less often about “having the money” vs. “choosing to spend” in seasons such as this.
I would agree that the Red Sox are competitive financially with teams like the Yankees and Dodgers but that third year luxury tax penalty is pretty nasty. So far the Dodgers and Yankees have not yet passed that line either.
Trade JD Martinez. We won’t get much for JBJ, at least if we trade Martinez we shed money.
To where?
Who can afford it and what are the Sox eating?
He can opt out after the season. You think he’s sticking around for this?
It also just goes to show you what DD did. They system is bare,he left you with nothing,but hey!!!!! He got you another championship.
So with all the players stepping forward saying how they hear racist comments from fans at games(CC,Manny Machado,Adam Jones,etc),you really think Mookie wanted to stick around? “I’m going to free agency.”
Yeah,never made it. Wants to be where he’s wanted. And a pandemic where salaries are going to flatten,yeah,take the LA money. Where else would he have gotten that? The Mets? Philly? No no no. He wanted no part on Boston. Reap what you sow.
Whining about winning a World Series? Ok there.
Dave, teams are likely going to be frugal this off season. I say offer an extra year and TEAM option for another if he gives up his options. The team will spend when the pandemic subsides or as early as next year. Also give DD credit for not trading away the your core he inherited. My main issue with DD or ownership is the Sale extension.
This is a weird move… unless somethings happened and like his velocity is lost or he doesn’t have control anymore or something… he’s still just a 24/25 year old kid who had (until last year) steadily risen through the minors. Seems odd, especially given how awful their pitching has been this year, to just designate him without even giving him a look — unless like I said he has a drop in velocity or something.
Some guys are good enough to make it in double-a or Triple-A. But they’re just not good enough for the majors. The Red Sox obviously saw that with this guy. It wasn’t that he had the tools for the major leagues and they needed to refine them. They saw he just doesn’t have it. Plain and simple.
Gary, agreed! Of the 40 man roster 17 spots have been filled with Bloom transactions since he arrived…. When players do not look like they have the talent to make and stay in the mlb then the team needs to move on and try someone else that may have the talent, but that has not found the consistency.
If players like Lakins, Travis, Poyner, Velazquez, Shawaryn, Brian Johnson, Marco Hernandez do not have the talent try other players. The Red Sox were guiltily of hanging on to some of their prospects way too long.
Presuming the season lasts another 13 days, the Red Sox will reset CBT and be able to spend next year.
Bloom did a good job in Tampa judging pitching talent. I believe he will do a good job in Boston when he is given time, money, and the ability to draft his own prospects instead of the failed talent evaluators who have not drafted a starting pitcher since Buchholz in 2007 able to make the mlb and be consistent
4WSsince04, you are one of the few who get it. I don’t understand why others don’t see it. Dave Frost above has no clue whatsoever. What…, is he trying to finish in second every year LOL?
This year was all about getting under the tax. The Red Sox won the World Series in 2018 and they tried to run it back in 2019 and failed. Nice try. You always want to run it back if you’re successful. Try to do it again. It didn’t work the starters flopped okay let’s reset that third-year astronomical penalty as the guy above-mentioned and we’re home free to spend again. To be the Red Sox again.
All these Doom and gloomer’s that are Red Sox fans and don’t get it, plus the attackers from other teams.., they just don’t understand the big picture.
He’s young. He’ll get plucked quickly!
Oh yes definitely. One team analysis doesn’t determine his fate for 29 other teams. He’ll get 3/4 chances before he turns 28 or 29 and calls it a career. Sometimes a pitching coach or a manager can figure something out and it’ll click for a guy.
Jeff, and those of you who follow the team closely, what’s the book on Shawaryn? Did he, and does he have stuff, and just needs the head and discipline to use it? Or was he a reach all along?
Never really had the stuff. Has an average (at best) fastball and slider and a below average changeup. Needed to develop the changeup further just to stick in the majors as a long-relief type guy.
M Night Shyamalan.
I am happy with the 4 championships in this century. I still watch the Sox in spite of the season. I grew up watching them in the 50’s and 60’s when they were pretty terrible until 1967. I do agree, however, that the team needs to do a complete rebuild. Keep Bogaerts, Devers, Verdugo, Chavis, Vazquez, Daubach, maybe a couple of young pitching prospects that I can’t think of right now. Did I miss anyone? Make everyone else available.
id trade Vazquez to be honest. You have Wong close now and he can develop into a good C. meanwhile good catchers like Vaz are a dime in a dozen, and while he’s hit well in the past i feel his value may be at a high right now.
Only problem with that is wong is far from certain to develop into anything.
Swihart was WAY higher regarded than wong at the same point of development. Aside from mismanagement of development, how did swihart turn out?
Good catchers are not dime a dozen
Agreed ….I’d think of the overall on Vazquez both offense and defense and I don’t think anyone could argue top TEN in the least
Yes I’m sure many could argue someone is better but I honestly have him up there as top five current cathers in the league I would definitely not trade that
Does anyone honestly think the sox this year or any other past few years would be remotely close to as good with a different catcher ? Who ? Swinehart or lucroy
Past /present possibilities
I agree wing had a decent upside but let’s be real swihart did to ….
Sorry for typos
I agree wong has the upside….many prospects do
sorry about that, i meant “not a dime in a dozen”
I think the phrase is, “a dime a dozen.”
In other words you can get a dozen of them for a dime. Or they’re “not a dime a dozen.”
I don’t think it’s “a dime IN a dozen.” Even though that kind of makes sense too LOL “he is a dime in a dozen of dimes?” I guess that works.
Did this article characterize Travis and Johnson as “prospects”” Those guys have always been way more suspects than prospects.