The Red Sox announced this morning that they had designated left-hander Tayler Scott for assignment. Taking Scott’s place on both the 40-man and active rosters is right-hander Jake Faria, who had his contract selected from the minors in a corresponding move.
A fifth round pick by the Cubs in the 2011 draft, Scott is journeyman who played for five organizations in the minor leagues before making his big league debut with the Mariners in 2019 at the age of 27. In 13 appearances with Seattle and Baltimore that season, Scott posted a 14.33 ERA in 16 1/3 innings of work. He’d spend the next two seasons overseas, playing for the Hiroshima Carp in the NPB before returning to the majors in 2022 with the Padres. In San Diego, Scott struggled once again to a 7.45 ERA in 9 2/3 innings of work.
In 2023, Scott signed on with the Dodgers on a minor league deal before impressing at the Triple-A level with a 1.37 ERA in 19 2/3 innings of work. The lefty was unable to replicate that success at the big league level, however, as Scott posted an ERA of 9.00 in six innings of work with the big league Dodgers before being traded to the Red Sox last month. Scott’s run prevention numbers improved slightly in Boston, though he still yielded a 4.91 ERA in his 3 2/3 innings of work with the club.
Overall, the 31-year-old Scott sports a career 10.18 ERA in 38 innings of work at the big league level, though he’s had more success overseas and in Triple-A with career marks of 4.02 and 4.01 respectively. The Red Sox will now have a week to trade, release, or waive Scott. Should they successfully pass Scott through waivers, the Red Sox will have the opportunity to outright Scott to the minors, though Scott could reject that assignment as a player who has previously been outrighted in his career.
Replacing Scott on the roster is Faria, a 29-year-old right-hander who last pitched in the big leagues with the Diamondbacks back in 2021. In 203 innings of major league work with the Rays, Brewers, and Dbacks, Faria has posted a 4.70 ERA (90 ERA+) with a matching 4.74 FIP. Faria is capable of pitching both out of the bullpen and as a member of the rotation, with 29 of his 72 career appearances in the majors having come as a starter. He’s struggled in 55 2/3 innings of work with the club’s Triple-A affiliate in Worcester, with a 6.47 ERA and 13.3% walk rate, though given his decent big league track record it’s nonetheless possible he could offer a useful multi-inning relief option to the Red Sox going forward.
Faria was serviceable with Tampa Bay, bring him on to the stockpile.
Gotta love it! Last time the Sox selected his contract he was on the team for like one day, and he didn’t even pitch.
Would be nice if the 13 pitcher slots on the 26-man ML roster were actually occupied by major league caliber pitchers, instead of constantly cycling through washed up minor leaguers who get shelled in the majors like Scott did yesterday, giving up the mammoth 2-run homer to .192 hitter Wisdom that put the game out of reach.
Fever, it would be better if teams couldn’t have 13 pitchers in the active roster. Until teams or the league realize overthrowing causes injuries and is likely to come with wildness, nothing will change. For all the pitchers Tampa uses to get to the playoffs, they have yet to win it all. To win in October, you need pitchers who can go deep in the game. You’re unlikely to win then using 13 pitchers.
dewey – You’re preaching to the choir my friend, they need to bring the limit down to 11 pitchers. Not only because 11 pitchers should be plenty, but also because the two additional position players would be invaluable.
Unfortunately with the new Designated Runner rule they are testing, MLB will probably use it as an excuse to keep 13-pitcher limits.
I mean really, bringing up a guy with a 6.47 ERA in AAA this year (7.48 ERA in AAA last year) is the best they can do??? Shameful.
Back when Pitchers could actually pitch it was not uncommon for teams to have only 10 or 11 Pitchers on the roster. The reliance on multiple Pitchers is not the evolution of the game but a significant step backwards. The way things are going i wouldn’t be surprised if MLB expanded the rosters to 30 players, 26 active, 4 “healthy scratches” (a la the NHL) with the 13 Pitchers being that game’s starter with 12 relievers
Rsox – I completely agree! Bad enough MLB had to institute the 3-batter-minimum rule because of managers changing pitchers after one batter, but now they are testing a 5-inning-minimum rule to put a stop to the “opener”.
When will it end?
It’s too bad MLB doesn’t take a fan pole before implementing changes. Instead they look to those they already know supports the change to explain why, etc
@Fever
I would be ok with that, but only because i despise the “opener” (and bullpen games in general).
I actually wish it was a 6 or 7 inning minimum and really test the starters again
So if the starter is getting shelled you can`t take him out if it`s before he completes 5 innings?That`s not practical FPG.
bergy – The rule currently being considered is the team loses the DH if the starting pitcher doesn’t go 5 innings.
@bergy
I would think provisions for things like if a pitcher gives up a certain amount of runs before the 5th inning would be added to the rule should it take effect
Even if the starter is getting shelled keep him in. The provision I’d have is for injuries or if the pitcher reached 125 pitches before completing 5 innings, that’s the only time you can be pulled.
You’d get teams working the count trying to tire the pitcher out. A premium again will be placed just on getting on base. A bigger premium will be on Aces. This is a rule change baseball needs.
Faria will be DFA’d next when Bleier comes back from rehab.
Exactly! He’s a placeholder. He might turn up for an inning in a bullpen game against Oakland or in a mop-up role, but he’s not worth arguing about.
Jack – Not worth worrying about until Cora calls on him in the 10th inning because he’s used up all his other relievers.
Bleier is terrible…. only time to use him is when they are up by 5 runs or more.
Then again Fever, you’re assuming that there ARE 390 active caliber pitchers, plus an additional 90-120 AAAA types to give depth and cover injuries for all the teams.
When teams started to go for hurlers instead of pitchers, having SPs that go 4-5 IP and found that acceptable, that was when you ran out of enough arms (given reliever volatility) to carry only good arms on your team.
GASox – I hear you!
Aren’t they also toying with the idea of forcing callups to remain on the 26-man roster for a minimum number of days?
Sad that all these rules need to be created because teams are constantly running pitchers on and off the roster nearly every day.
Let starters go 6-7 innings and bring in 3 relievers MAX, as it should be. The 2-times-only-through-the-lineup theory has been proven by guys like Paxton and Eovaldi to be total BS.
The 3rd time thru OPS for SPs is .764. The average OPS for an RP is .712. That ,means a savings of 6.8%. That’s significant.
There is variance within that. Some guys are more reliable the third time thru, and some less so. But on a macro basis, earlier BP appearances is better.
The only objection I have is when managers use it as a rule rather than a guide. Some guys it just doesn’t matter. With lower tier SPs like Whitlock, Houck, Crawford, etc., If I get 5 good innings out of them, I run like a thief. That’s why you have a BP.
When that 6% on a macro level is important, isn’t it just as important to eliminate error prone defenders (Devers, Kiki- and to be fair most SS options BOS trotted out this year) especially in light of the info I think it was FeverPitchGuy cited about how MLB leaned on official scorers to log errors as huts to boost appearance of offense?
And so, what’s more important – a deeper bench with improved defensive upgrades when you have that lead, or, an early hook and more relievers?
Part of the reason the 3rd time through OPS for starting pitchers is as high as it is is because most of the time they’re left in to face the opposing lineup the 3rd time through it’s only part of the lineup, i.e. the top of the order and the better hitters in the opposing lineup, and not the whole lineup with the lesser hitters lower in it.
And it’s gotten a little ridiculous that pitchers continue to be evaluated based on the averages of all pitchers and not as individuals.
what’s more important – a deeper bench with improved defensive upgrades when you have that lead, or, an early hook and more relievers?
=====================
I’m not sure that defensive replacements are all that much of a thing. But having a .500 OPS GG SS on the bench doesn’t strike me as any better having another RP.
Past that, there are too many variables. Having three SPs on the IL makes me much rather have as many RPs as possible.
I thought about that, but pitchers OPSa goes up from 1-25, then 26-50, and then 51-75. It’s definitely a fair point, but I see no reason to think a pitcher’s effectiveness won’t decline as he throws more pitches.
Here’s the thing: Even if a starter is slightly less effective on the 3rd pass, it’s all about winning. If you can afford to keep him in, by all means do it. I think it helps save the bullpen. I believe that relievers do best with about 60 innings. Starters can go up to 200 innings if they’re established. I’d rather not be bringing in relievers in the 6th inning all the time, you still have 3 full innings left if you win. Over the course of the season that adds up. A 100 win team that has to use 3 relievers in every game they win? Not to mention the other 60 games where you might be close enough to use your better relievers? Good luck in the postseason.
IMO. it is all situational.
1-Pitching badly or well.
2-Pitch count.
3-How rested is the BP.
My general impression is that if I have Bello, Paxton or Sale out there, I generally trust them, and I’ll give them a longer leash. If I have Whitlock, Houck or Pivetta, and I have a 3-52 lead, I am going to do everything I can to nail down that win.
If you’re up 52-3 your lead should be pretty safe…
Left hander when the pic of him is clearly as a right hander lol
Every team wants an ace and a couple if guys who give them innings. Why not start prepping pitchers to go 125 pitches or more like the old timers used to. There were so many less injuries when pitchers were able to go 7-9 innings regularly because they were conditioned to do it. They also didn’t have half of their pitches putting unnatural stress on their arms, and they used their legs instead of throwing all with their arms.
Prediction: Sox will DFA Faria today after that terrible performance and sign Matt Bowman.
Perfect use of the Faria today. Two meaningless innings that someone of value didn’t have to pitch. Five meaningless runs, only hurts the team ERA which is meaningless anyway. Good job.
Hayzee – So what you’re saying is Faria is the new Ort.
He’s the last resOrt. 😉
I’ve argued in the past for throw-away RPs. Those last 1-2 slots in the BP are fairly meaningless if you only use them in blowouts.
If you add up the 12 worst guys in our BP in terms of ERA, their collective ERA is 6.20. But their collective W-L is 5-.3. All things being equal, you always want the best guys, but the turnstile of RPs is only there to protect the top 6-7 guys..
There is a pretty good chance that Faria gets demoted in favor of another fresh BP arm just in case one of the A’s games are blowouts.
Faria will be a DFA within minutes (or at least before tomorrow’s game in Oakland) as he threw 62 pitches today, he sucks, and Cora said Bleier would be activated for the Oakland series (Bleier is on the 60-day IL), so a 40-man spot needs to be cleared. Faria has already a been DFA once this year and cleared waivers…
Faria ‘selected’ 4/16, did not pitch, DFA on 4/17, outright to Worcester after clearing waivers 4/19. Maybe he can make it back to be in the dugout for the next Worcester game on Tuesday…just like last time.
MLB limits teams to 13 pitchers, so there are endless up and down movements with players with options. The pitchers who do not get the DFA, and if they have enough MLB time can elect free agency and look for a team they might be able to stick with in the MLB…… lots of travel…
Anyone notice how well our boy Brasier is doing?
10 games 1.59 ERA. 0.71 WHIP.
There are more Dairy Queen’s nearer to Dodger Stadium than Fenway Park.
Besides in Boston, it’s more about BQ than DQ.
Yeah, there you go, that’s the sort of baseball knowledge we got around here.
Good for him. He has some talent, but needed to get away from Fenway. This has happened to plenty of other players on plenty of other teams.
I’m aware. It’s still rather amusing having this entire board clamoring for him to be waived when now the red sox are trotting out guys like Faria.
It’s not the entire board. A lot of RS fans are pretty sharp. But a decent amount are casual fans that know little about baseball, often less about the RS, and pretty much hate every RS player.
I actually think it is part of MLB-R’s operating philosophy to publicize every RS minor league depth move, knowing it will get a 100 comments.
Trust me sinister if anyone has noticed it was I!!! Glad to see my buddy Brais turn it around as for the rest of the trash we have shoveled out there since his departure I have NO COMMENT!!!( but Brais was stinking it up also) as much as it pains me … his leash stretched from Boston to ….well LA before they cut him loose…
Gentlemen.. trade deadline approaches… my only recommendation… Mayer/ Bello and Ort( Dodgers won’t make deal if Ort not part) to reunite Brais with us ( fine me) dodgers also ‘throw’ in some washed up guy… Betts…and senior citizen..JD someone… but make no mistake Brais is the nuts and bolts of trade….