The Red Sox are going to select the contract of right-handed pitcher Frank German today, according to Christopher Smith of MassLive.com. He will take the roster spot of catcher Kevin Plawecki, whose designation for assignment was reported last night.
German, 24, came over to the Red Sox from the Yankees in a January 2021 trade. The Yanks were looking to offload Adam Ottavino and the last year of his contract, including German in the deal as payment for Boston helping them out in that regard. The Yanks had selected him in the fourth round of the 2018 draft.
Though German was mostly a starter in his first few years in the minors, he has worked exclusively in relief this season, with very encouraging results. Between Double-A and Triple-A, he’s thrown 49 2/3 innings on the year with a 2.72 ERA and excellent 32.5% strikeout rate. His 9.6% walk rate is a bit on the high side, but those are still very encouraging results. As noted in Smith’s report, German has an upper-90s fastball that he combines with a splitter and a slider. He’ll now get a chance to try out that repertoire at the big league level, making his MLB debut as soon as he gets into a game.
For the Red Sox, they are 10 games back of a playoff spot with just over two weeks remaining in the season. With their hopes of a postseason appearance gone, they can use their remaining games to audition players for next season and beyond. Since Plawecki was headed for free agency, the club has decided to use his roster spot on a young hurler who could factor into their future bullpen mix.
whyhayzee
Sauerkraut and Brown Mustard?
hiflew
What is the nickname for the Padres uniforms?
Fever Pitch Guy
Bloom should be charged with another failure. Funny how nobody mentions letting Ottavino walk and watching him put up a 2.01 ERA and 0.977 WHIP in what has been arguably the best season of his career.
You can blame it on the Sox coaching staff or the poor managing of Cora, for whatever reason it was an awful decision to let Ottavino sign with the Mets for just a one-year $4M contract. Especially considering how much Bloom spent on Robles, Diekman, etc.
Angry Disgruntled Sox Fan
Bloom has failed when it’s come to the bullpen, I’ll give you that. I’m hoping it’s just an unlucky phase in the large scheme of things. Honestly, though, Ottovino was even pretty good for us last year despite people wanting to ship him out. He’s a better option than most of the guys we got now.
Hello, Newman
Never know what you’ll get out of Plawecki! A true wildcard.
Bruin1012
It’s about time to call this kid up.
DBH1969
This will make @Dorothy_Mantooth’s day! He’s been calling for this for months now.
Dorothy_Mantooth
Amen!!!
Samuel
It’s amazing how when team is in last or 2nd last place their fans blame it all on a backup catcher, a utility infielder, or the 4th / 5th set-up guy out of the bullpen. When they finally get the guy off the roster later in the season there’s joy as if this will turn the team around.
Happens every year with multiple teams. One of the fun things about following team sports.
whyhayzee
The Red Sox are not in last place or 2nd to last place. They’re in 5th place in the division and 10th place in the league. And it’s almost all because of injuries. Not finding more durable players, especially pitchers, was their downfall. They showed what they are capable of over a 45 game stretch when everyone was healthy. In theory, they’re a very good team. It just took the Yankees longer to reach the same point of mediocrity that the Red Sox have perfected this year. All in all, a bad year but not a bad team.
hiflew
They are not in last place…they are just in 5th place in a division with 5 teams. Nice spin there buddy.
Ketch
They’re in last but their record would have them in third place in 4 of the other 5 divisions and the record against non-AL East teams is well over .500. As last placed teams go, they’re pretty good.
deweybelongsinthehall
Ice cream is ice cream and the Sox in fifth place is last place. No need to try to 3xplain the year which was NOT caused by unexpected injuries which happens to most teams. The Sox relied on players who had injury histories before the season started and never put together a proper pitching staff. Hopefully Blooms recognizes things, decides on the roles of certain players before making other moves (i. e. Whitlock being a key reliever or starter, etc.) and then revamps the staff. Every day players and those for the bench should then be decided upon. The team can again finish last with Bogarts but can they win without him? Is the team better with Story staying at second or moving to short? Regardless of Bogie being on or off the team, total defense has to greatly be improved.
Fever Pitch Guy
Ketch – Agreed, the Sox are better than the other last place teams. Not something to brag about though …
Sox 20-42 record in divisional games is their worst since divisional play started back in 1969. Think about that before saying anything about this season has been “pretty good”.
hiflew
Except that is not really accurate either. With the unbalanced schedule, there is no way to know how well Boston would have played in a different division. It’s possible they would be better, but it’s just as possible that another team would have a better record in Boston’s place.
JoeBrady
The Red Sox are not in last place or 2nd to last place. They’re in 5th place in the division
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So the RS are in 5th place, but not in last place? Past that, record counts; placement, not so very much.
Fever Pitch Guy
why – All things considered, the Sox are EXACTLY what their record says they are …. mediocre, average, and the worst team in the division.
All because of injuries? When you have players on the team with a long history of being injury prone, or are in their 40’s, nobody is gonna feel sorry when they are injured yet again. And it’s not like the Jays, Rays and Yanks haven’t had their share of injuries. The Sox have been very fortunate to keep Devers, Xander, Verdugo and JD on the field for the most part.
You also can’t ignore Bloom’s failure in building the bullpen, and the constant mismanaging by Cora. Don’t you remember all those blown saves in April and May?
And please for the love of God and all that’s holy, I hope you’re not pointing to the stretch where they played a ton of games against bad non-divisional teams as “showing what they are capable”. Beating up on the Angels, Rangers, Tigers, Athletics, and a much different struggling Seattle team is nothing to brag about.
JoeBrady
Most records can be traced almost directly to injuries. the RS have had a lot more injuries than either the NYY or the Jays, but less than Rays. That explains the records for all four teams.
The RS have given 53 starts to pitchers not part of the anticipated rotation. The NYY have had 25 starts, including 8 by Montas. And the Jays have had 35.
Had all three teams been uninjured, or had identical injuries,their records would look a lot like last year’s.
Fever Pitch Guy
Joe – I find it hilarious that you say the Sox have had a lot more injuries than the Yankees, when the following players have missed significant time:
Carpenter
Benintendi
Rizzo
Stanton
LeMahieu
Bader
Donaldson
Chapman
Britton
King
Effross
Severino
Green
Gil
Castro
Cortes
Abreu
Holmes
Look at their numbers, 2022 and prior, and the amount of games they’ve missed this season.
I hate when I’m forced to defend the Yankees.
JoeBrady
There are like 6 names on that list that I don’t even recognize. But listing Bader as a guy they lost to injury, when he was on the DL when they acquired him, was humorous enough to be worth the read.
Fever Pitch Guy
Joe – Why wouldn’t Bader count? He was supposed to return by now. Ironic coming from you, considering how last year you complained so much about Schwarber being on the IL after Bloom acquired him.
Six names? Really? Every single player listed has had great success either this year or in prior years.
Care to name the six names you’ve never heard of? I’m not disputing your unfamiliarity with them, as it’s not surprising at all, but I’d love to post the stats of those six players.
JoeBrady
They claimed Abreu off of waivers.
Britton hasn’t pitched since August 2021.
Gil is a rookie.
Green was another waiver pickup who pitched one inning.
Start with the real players. The 9 position players, the 5-man rotation, and the closer. Let me know how many games the NYY missed.
The key NYY position guys the NYY missed were Rizzo, Stanton & Benni for 75 games. The RS lost Devers, Kiki and Story for 111 games.
And the rotation losses are not even close.
Samuel
whyhayzee;
Sure they’re not in last place. So therefore…..
Why are you Red Sox fans on here under every single article for over a month complaining about the team?
Bruin1012
Samuel it’s not about turning the team around it’s about the off-season and what is needed. The season is over so play these young guys give them a taste and see how they respond. It’s especially important at catcher if Wong looks viable then you don’t have to worry about catching and can feel comfortable with Wong and McGwire next year and concentrate on other areas of need like pitching.
deweybelongsinthehall
Agreed Bruin but I for one am shocked the team released KP who seemed to be hitting better of late. He was a pro’s pro in Boston and unless he asked for his release, I wouldn’t have treated him like this. He should have been traded at the deadline along with CV if they wanted to give Wong a true sample size of playing time. Teams would have taken a shot on KP then (the Mets for example) given the return would have been minimal).
Fever Pitch Guy
dewey – No team would trade both of their catchers at the trade deadline, keeping in mind they still had postseason hopes at the time.
Vazquez had more value, that’s why he was the one who was traded.
deweybelongsinthehall
They got back a major league catcher in another deal so I disagree. My point is nothing is likely to be learned from Wong through the final games. There just aren’t enough left.
Angry Disgruntled Sox Fan
I’ve never heard that. Most blame Bloom, Cora or our offense.
whyhayzee
“Not finding more durable players, especially pitchers, was their downfall.”
That’s what I said: Not finding more durable players, especially pitchers, was their downfall.
Did I mention what I said? Not finding more durable players, especially pitchers, was their downfall.
Do you understand what I said?????
Yeesh.
Bobby smac9
Here ya go kid. Have fun, and be prepared to win a spot coming out of camp next spring.
all in the suit that you wear
I like German. He has been solid at every level.
Bobby smac9
And so begins the auditions for 2023. Who knows how much spending will be reigned in by the front office? One thing is probable: there will be jobs that can be won coming out of spring training. Might as well see what these kids can do when there is little pressure Oh, and budget enough money for a team shuttle bus for the transport of players to and from the Woo Sox .
Mad Hatter
It’s possible that the Yankees have handed the Sox their two best relief pitchers for no return.
rhswanzey
Why not? They traded their third starter to the Cardinals for nothing.
deweybelongsinthehall
I “hated” seeing Montgomery face Boston. Always liked him and didn’t understand the trade then.
rhswanzey
Excellent username
spitball
Ok, so if it makes sense to dfa Plawecki, then why not JD Martinez? And anybody else who’s on the 40 man and is going to be a free agent at the end of the year?
acell10
because one is a backup catcher with his replacement already up and the other is the regular DH?
johnsilver
Don’t know why logical fans always have to explain this so many times..
Because it’s Boston, Or the NYY, or LAD.. They have -0- problems selling out every game and have the most expensive beer/dogs etc in the game. Do a full-on tear down, or start getting rid of names.. Even when ur team isn’t very good and you will not sell out and sell all that expensive junk.
Most fans don’t know that much about the game, just go and want to see them win, not some bunch of losers full of rookies so teams like the above named can’t do correct tear downs like Oakland, KC, Pittsburgh etc who never draw more than 10k. They need smart front offices to draft and deal a whole lot differently.
deweybelongsinthehall
John, except KD didn’t deserve or need to be released now. Would have understood bringing up Wong 45 days ago but regardless of how he performs, the sample size is too small to evaluate for next season.
johnsilver
Dewey, It wasn’t releasing JD at this point, more the mistake of not shedding remainder of his salary at the deadline being the boo-boo. Even if got nothing of real value in return, except some salary relief.
A mistake to give a 35yo DH on the downside the 19m QO. This isn’t David Ortiz. Not even Boras would allow Martinez to walk away from a 19m gift horse.
deweybelongsinthehall
I meant KP.
Fever Pitch Guy
dewey – I was wondering why you brought up Kevin Durant.
Mi Casas es tu Casas
Obviously you haven’t been attending or watching games on TV seeing thousands of empty seats even in August and labour day weekend
JoeBrady
if it makes sense to dfa Plawecki, then why not JD Martinez?
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Sorry, that makes no sense. JD is a real player, who will help us win games. Plawecki won’t even get another PA.
DBH1969
In fairness to the question, wins are absolutely meaningless at this point. It’s not about wins and losses, it is about giving prospects a chance to get experience.
JD won’t be released because of the draft pick we will get when he signs elsewhere.
deweybelongsinthehall
Not sure they will get a significant pick. 1. if offered, he might accept the QO and if not, doesn’t the deal he signs for have to be $50m in total value for a top compensatory pick? I could be wrong as many of us thought the QO was going away. I just don’t remember. Given JDM’s lack of power this year and inability to play full time in the field, he’s likely looking at a one year low cost with incentives rebound contract.
JoeBrady
DBH19699 hours ago
In fairness to the question, wins are absolutely meaningless at this point.
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Wins are never completely meaningless. Even when you have no shot at the playoffs, you still rather win than lose. Leaving Plawecki on the team instead of JD, makes no sense.
GreenMonsta
If offered the QO, Martinez will most likely take it. What better way to reestablish his value. Not counting the covid shortened season, this is JD’s worst OPS+ season since 2013. Since a team can only offer him the QO once, he would be free of the strings attached next season. He would have a lot to gain if accepting it, and retrying FA next season.
I don’t think the Red Sox should or will offer QO. It doesn’t help them much, other than giving them a DH for one season at around 20M.
Fever Pitch Guy
Joe – At this point I’m not surprised one bit you think keeping JD is all about winning games in what is now a meaningless season.
You don’t DFA a guy of JD’s stature, that would be extremely disrespectful and wouldn’t go over very well in the clubhouse.
Not to mention the fact the Sox would potentially lose a draft pick, as they wouldn’t have the option to give him a QO after the season.
JoeBrady
As I mentioned to DBH most people would rather win than lose. Feel free to think otherwise.
IRT “as they wouldn’t have the option to give him a QO after the season”, do you seriously think we are going to give a 35 year old DH, with 11 HRs, a QO?
Fever Pitch Guy
Joe – I know for a fact one of the reasons Bloom didn’t trade JD at the deadline was because the draft pick he could get is valued more than what he was offered from other teams.
So unless JD finishes the season horribly or injured, yes I believe he will be offered a QO. And I believe another team will make it a moot point by offering him 2 years at $13M each with a player opt-out after 2023.
Must I remind you Cruz just got $15M guaranteed for one year after putting up just a .725 OPS with Tampa last year? And he is 7 years older than JD!
If you’d like to wager on this immediately after the last game of the season, I’m open to it … as long as his numbers are similar to what they are now, and he’s healthy.
JoeBrady
I will be glad to make that wager, but it cannot be conditional. I’m risking JD hitting 7 HRs in the next 17 games, so you have to risk JD hitting -0- HRs over the final 17 games.
The wager would be he either gets a QO or he doesn’t, and the loser doesn’t post for the month of December.
LMK if we have a wager. I actually hope you win, but I cannot see Bloom risking $19M for JD when we could have Diaz for similar money.
jaybest
they should have called a guy like this several weeks ago instead of selecting guys like Familia…
Nobby
I’ve watched them play all year. They’re terrible.
GaryWarriorsRedSox
Right around .500 in the toughest division in baseball? WoW tough crowd.
tedshead
Wow! Great debut
the_zohn
ERA – INF