The Red Sox announced that right-hander Ralph Garza has been claimed off waivers from the Twins. To create roster space, righty Kyle Tyler has been designated for assignment.
Minnesota designated Garza earlier this week when the Carlos Correa signing became official, thus necessitating the Twins’ need for a 40-man roster spot. Garza was a waiver pickup himself last August, coming to the Twins after being DFA’ed by the Astros.
A 26th-round selection for the Astros in the 2015 draft, Garza spent his first six pro seasons in Houston’s organization, and thus Boston manager (and former Astros bench coach) Alex Cora undoubtedly has at least some familiarity with the right-hander’s work. Garza has a 3.72 ERA and 24.38% strikeout rate over 339 career innings in the minors, and delivered roughly those same numbers over his 132 frames at Triple-A.
Garza made his big league debut last season, delivering a 3.56 ERA over 30 1/3 combined innings with Houston and Minnesota. While his 22.8% strikeout rate and 11% walk rate were nothing special, Garza’s quality slider drew some attention, as noted by R.J. Anderson of CBS Sports. The Red Sox have already optioned Garza to Triple-A, but he represents a fresh arm to be cycled into a bullpen that is long on potential candidates but short on locks to make the roster.
Tyler only just came to Boston two days ago on another waiver claim, as the Angels had designated Tyler to make roster room for Ryan Tepera. The Red Sox could be betting that that can sneak Tyler through waivers again and keep him in their system, though it is also possible that a team who passed last time might put in a claim now, or a team behind the Sox in the waiver order might now get a chance to land the right-hander.
Tyler also made his MLB debut last season, tossing 12 1/3 relief innings over five appearances for Anaheim and posting a 2.92 ERA (despite a matching total of six walks and six strikeouts). Tyler has started 32 of his 60 career games in the minors, making him an interesting possibility for teams looking for a swingman or multi-inning relief type. Over 232 1/3 innings in the Angels’ farm system, Tyler has a 3.25 ERA, 23.2% strikeout rate, and 7.4% walk rate.
Wow that was quick!
Guys got two first names.
Tough to keep track of Chaim’s Chumps!
Yeah, it’s weird those roster claims aren’t all successful Major League players. What the hell, Bloom?
Yes, Bloom should only sign players worthy of $300,000,000 contracts and multi-year all stars…..lol…. an all star at every position……
Sarcasm aside… there are some on this site that think that way ….. rich owners should spend unlimited money on their team…..
It’s not bad though, Bloom is playing a trial by error game to sort out who is best
“Trial by error”. Last year the the screwed up so much they went to ALCS. Let’s hope he screws up even more, this time around.
Serious what the f do you guys want from this Bloom. This is a a depth move. Nothing more.
To me, it’s like a Rotiessrie move. If I can make my #20 spot 50% better, I make the move. There is no reason not to.
Now that we’ve cornered the market on relievers that are unlikely to make the team, can we get around to picking up someone capable of starting?
The rotation is in a fine spot to start the season. Eovaldi, Pivetta, Wacha, Houck, and Hill are all solid. They come with risks but they aren’t necessarily going to be relied on all season. Sale, Whitlock, and Paxton will all likely see starts at some point as well.
Tyler only made it to the 11th team in the waiver order, so given his ability to start, reasonably solid track record and minor league options remaining, I wouldn’t be shocked to see him on the move again. I could see St. Louis or Cincy taking a shot based on their recent injuries in the rotation.