The Red Sox have sent utility player Blake Sabol outright to Triple-A Worcester, per Tim Healey of The Boston Globe. That indicates he cleared waivers after being designated for assignment a few days ago.
Sabol, 27, was acquired from the Giants in January. He had been designated for assignment by that club but some international bonus pool space was sent from Boston to San Francisco in order to add Sabol to the Red Sox’ roster. That gave the Sox some extra depth at various positions, with Sabol capable of playing catcher, first base and the outfield.
Boston started the year with Connor Wong and Carlos Narváez as their big league catching duo, with Sabol optioned to Worcester. Wong suffered a finger fracture a week into April. That got Sabol up to the majors for close to a month while Wong recovered. However, they didn’t put him in the lineup often, as he only got into eight games and was only sent to the plate 18 times. He struck out seven times, a 38.9% clip, and produced a line of .125/.167/.188.
Sabol was once a nice Rule 5 pickup of the Giants. Going into 2023, he was technically plucked from the Pirates by the Reds, but Cincinnati flipped him to San Francisco for cash. He went on to appear in 110 games for the Giants that year, slashing .235/.301/.394 for a wRC+ of 91 while splitting his time between catcher and left field.
It seemed like he had a path to being a useful utility player but it hasn’t quite panned out that way. He spent most of last year on optional assignment, having a fine-but-unexceptional season. He slashed .246/.340/.388 for a wRC+ of 96 at the Triple-A level and was only called up for 11 big league games. In his 25 Triple-A games this year, he has a .193/.304/.341 line while striking out in a third of his trips to the plate.
The 29 other clubs passed on the chance to grab Sabol off waivers. Since this is his first career outright and he has less than three years of service time, he doesn’t have the right to reject the outright assignment. He’ll stick with the Sox as non-roster depth and try to earn his way back to the majors.
Narváez and Wong are the only two catchers on the 40-man so Boston is probably happy that Sabol is sticking around as non-roster depth. Yasmani Grandal was in Triple-A on a minor league deal but it seems like he might be retiring.
Photo courtesy of Eric Canha, Imagn Images
And meanwhile Kyle Teel, who should be at least backing up Narvaez in Boston, is getting called up by the White Sox, while the Red Sox have lost Sabol(DFA and likely FA) and Grandal(retirement) as depth options in the last few days.
I’ll take Crochet over an unproven catcher any day of the week.
Sabol is in Worcester. That’s the whole point of this article, they retained him and sent him outright to Worcester, only difference is he’s off the 40 man roster
Teel is looking good, but Crochet is a 25 year old elite ace who they have locked up for the next six years. And Narvaez looks like a stud. I wouldn’t take that trade back if I was the Sox.
HBan – I respect your opinion, but I would definitely take back that trade if I could.
Meidroth is batting .312 with a .401 OBP and has a 1.6 WAR in just 40 games.
Braden Montgomery is killing it in the minors this year.
Wikelman Gonzalez is looking great in AAA.
I like Narvaez, but let’s see what happens when MLB has a book on him. Way too small sample size.
I like Crochet, but the issue with him has always been durability. It’s a little concerning when he gets pulled after just 85 pitches despite holding a slim lead. Not sure I buy Cora’s ‘it was planned a week ahead of time” excuse, especially with Crochet not knowing about it.
If Skubal goes on the trade block next offseason and the Sox don’t get him because they already traded 4 solid prospects for Crochet, I’ll be pissed.
The trade worked well for both teams. Whats wrong with that?
Red Sox had too much positional depth and needed to reduce the number of prospects and getting an Ace was the perfect way to do it. White Sox also got a great haul. Win, Win.
Gotta disagree. What we gave up stings, but Crochet is the real deal. And to be honest, if skubal is available next year we still have the prospects to get it done.
Montgomery isn’t really “killing it” in single A. He’s holding his own, sure.
Wikelman has been pitching decently. Ceiling still that of a #4/5.
Meidroth was a steal for CWS. Good on him for making himself more than a “throw in” guy.
Hated losing Teel but he’s unproven. Id take Crochet over those 4 over and over again.
Sean – Way too soon to know if Crochet is the real deal yet, but he certainly didn’t look it Saturday.
Tigers are gonna want at least one Top Ten prospect. Red Sox don’t have any prospects in the Top 50 after Roman is finally called up.
Arias could actually be up there in the rankings by then. We could also have serval in the top 50 and a whole mess of them just behind.
Sean – Let’s hope! I know it’s easy to be optimistic about prospects, but as of right now Arias is the only Sox prospect even in MLB’s Top 100.
You don’t like Password? I think he’ll crack the Top 100 by end of season.
To be honest I haven’t seen him much. He was only here for 50 or so games and I was on the road at the time. Watched him in spring training but he didn’t do much but I’ve heard a lot of good things about his game and his attitude.
Let me know when Crochet becomes the real deal in your book 😉
great game.
Fittingly Cora costs him the win. Wtf was up with pitching him in the 9th?!
And if Judge hits a homer against any other pitcher, its “Why didnt he leave Crochet in there, Judge is 0 for 6 with 6 k’s against him”. — Monday Morning QBing at its finest.
You’re an idiot. Keep having imaginary conversations with yourself. Freak
Okay youre a bag.
Lets look at the situation:
– Crochet had been cruising the past 3 innings
– Pitch count within limits for a big game (roughly 100)
– Velocity on fastball, excellent (clocked at season high 101 mph against Judge in 9th)
– Crochet was owning Judge (0 for 3 and 3 k’s)
Crochet should absolutely NOT have been taken out in the 9th. Sometimes there is no perfect answer.
Sean – I was very pleased last night! Some people are saying the Yankees getting into Boston at 5am was a factor, but that doesn’t matter … he was still great.
My only concern is how much he amped up the velocity on his last dozen pitches. Let’s hope there’s no issues with him mak8ng his next start Wednesday.
I don’t understand your gripe. Crochet has been better than advertised. It’s not his fault that he has a subpar supporting cast.
YBC – I think he’s just not happy that Teel was included in the trade, which is the consensus feeling of Red Sox Nation.
Hopefully it turns out the Yankees traded a perennial All-Star to the Red Sox in Narvaez and it makes the loss of Teel much more tolerable ;O)
Narvaez has been one of the few positive surprises this year. He really looks like a star in the making. Same with Toro, who I had never even heard of and had zero expectations from. Nice to see some of these young players showing potential. If we could just get some solid starting pitching.
Uncle – Hopefully it continues, but keep in mind Narvaez is still new to MLB and opponents will eventually have a book on him. Let’s see if he can make adjustments. He had a very rough game Saturday, 0-for-4 with a Passed Ball and Catcher’s Interference.
Can you imagine how awful this team would be without Crochet?
If you’re sad about that trade, you’re the only one. Even if Teel becomes an all star, Crochet already is one.
Not to mention Teel is 23 and Crochet is still just 25 years old.
Ghost – Your first sentence is quite interesting, considering the Red Sox are only 7-6 in Crochet games.
As mentioned above, Red Sox Nation was not and still is not happy with the trade. It has a lot to do with knowing the prospects that were sent, and Crochet’s injury history and lack of a track record.
FPG
You think Sox Nation is unhappy with the trade? I don’t agree with that statement. Yes, I was and still somewhat upset they included Teel,but Crochet is a beast,and should be for the length of his contract. Obviously you cannot measure the trade now. Highly rated catching prospects are so rare,I would have included Mayer or Campbell instead. Maybe they demanded Teel. I would have still done the trade .
cdc – I interact with the fanbase via many avenues, and yes they are unhappy with the trade but obviously we are happy with his performance thus far. The talent was never a question, it’s the ability to pitch at least 175 innings a year without sustaining a major injury that is the concern.
Nobody is judging the trade now though, that won’t be possible for many years. I totally agree with you that Mayer would have been a better option than Teel, mainly because of Mayer’s injury history.
Yes Chicago demanded Teel, they had the leverage because the Red Sox had missed out on all the top free agent pitchers and were desperate to land Crochet.
Tomorrow will be his first big test, let’s hope he’s up to the challenge.
Fever Pitch Guy has no way to gage a consensus opinion of the millions of people in Red Sox Nation. He is making things up yet again.
Footnote …. Crochet was obviously not up to the challenge.
Depth at catcher is the least of their concerns. The Sox need to start putting some wins together and play like a team that has the potential to be a contender. At this point, they look to be a team who should be using the trade deadline to stock up on prospects as they try to deal away half the roster including the manager.
Uncle – If the Sox farm system is as stocked as they claim it is, doesn’t that mean it’s time they start cashing in some of those prospect chips for proven MLB players?
The team is already so young with most of the players cost controlled for many years to come, where would they put even more prospects?
FPG – I liked Teel, and Meidroth too. But, even rarer than a stud catching prospect is a stud lefty about to enter his prime. Yes, 175 innings is probably not in the cards this year, but, it looks like the Sox won’t be needing that anyway.
Your point of bringing in mlb players is well taken. There is a lack of mlb talent on the 40 man and an abundance of AAA talent. Its a slippery slope into a state of perpetual rebuild, as the “future core” is always just slightly down the road. Meanwhile, the .500 seasons build up, and the last place finishes build up and ultimately its the playoffs that seem further and further down the road.
More importantly,my belief that the major league staff of the Red Sox can continue the development of these minor league talents, and take them to the next level is quickly waning. They have not improved Raffaele one iota other than his spectacular defensive ability. They sat Mayer against Yusei Kikucki!!! Campbell, while not doubting his overall talent, seems lost. The two rookies that show the most mlb promise were raised in the Astros and Yankees systems. Don’t get me started on the pitching.
I think it is imperative to bring in proven, successful major league talent, because the future may just not be in Worcester.
Sad – Great post!!
Let’s hope Crochet can stay healthy.
Lot’s of experts including the NESN guys have compared the Red Sox to the Orioles ….. the major league team sucked for 6 years while the farm system was built up, but the O’s didn’t do much with their prospects, choosing to sit on them for a long time instead of improving the major league team. And now look where the O’s are, current win streak not withstanding.
I’d like to think little Raffy has finally found his groove at the plate, but I do remember last year he had a similar spurt midseason and we all know how last season ended for him.
Campbell is benched tonight. One of the things to watch this weekend is how he responds to the hostile crowd, and ESPECIALLY if there’s any ugly fan interactions with Duran this weekend.
Sox are so very lucky they are not seeing Fried this weekend and probably not next weekend either. Rodon will be tough though.
BTW – Have you noticed how EVERYONE ELSE in the division is winning like crazy, even Baltimore.
Tampa 7-3 including 4 in a row
Toronto 8-2 including consecutive wins against Philly
Baltimore 8-2 and currently on a 6-game win streak
Yanks 7-3 as well
Sox now 5 losses behind Tampa/Toronto and only 2 head of Baltimore.
The way they are playing this year I don’t see any reason to cash in prospects for major league talent. They need to build up the prospect load even more by unloading players not in their future plans and trade those prospects during the off season for real talent. If they have a real impact player with years left on his contract available at the deadline, sure grab him up. I don’t know If it is coaching, managing, or player talent, but they look terrible and need to do something. Like most fans I was worried about all of these reclamation project pitchers and they have certainly been a bust this year. I would sell high on Chapman while he still is pitching great.
Uncle – your posts are always is thoughtful. But this time I have to completely disagree
We are already tied into Mayer, Campbell and Abreu. And, of course, Anthony lurking. How many kids do you need to have both in the minor league system and on the field at fenway? We’re not supposed to be fielding a U-23 team!
This team needs proven major league talent right now.
The Yankees brought in Bellinger, Chisholm, Fried, Goldschmidt, Devin Williams…..is there any wonder they’re in first and we’re heading for last (again)?
the yankees also have Rice, Volpe, Dominguez, and Peraza getting a lot of playing time and at one point Judge was a young guy trying to prove himself too.. You need to give young players a chance to become proven major leaguers which isn’t like running U 23 team instead of just plugging holes with “proven major league talent” that’s often overpaid and underperforming.
I don’t see the Sox turning things around. I agree we needed to add on more talent in the offseason, but the only reason to add talent now is if they have years of control left. One thing we could use is pitching prospects that are ready for the majors as we don’t have many of them. When I said we needed to unload aging players for prospects it is purely for trade bait to try to get some real talent. With playoff hopes fading I don’t mind letting prospects get some experience. Of course I would rather be winning games but our starting pitching is so bad that we would need multiple high end starters to have a chance and that is not going to happen.
The way we are playing now, there is no reason to get one year rentals which is the majority of what will be available at the deadline. We are more than a player or two away from being a contender, so I would rather get better for the future at this point. Our bullpen is going to be so overworked they will have nothing left for the end of the season. We need starters who can keep us in the game for at least 5 innings, not 1 or 2.
Ace- I think you’re misunderstandibg my point. I’m not against playing two, three or four kids. I’m not against having a strong farm system.
What my point is, the other 24 men on the major league roster need to be above average to good/very good.
What I’m against is the fact that Ro.y Gonzalez and Abraham Toro are not just on the roster, but are two of the starting eight.
Injuries happen to all teams, but the roster was so poorly constructed to begin with you are playing subpar to useless players.
Uncle- this is a Cora problem. He is so chained to the Analytics that, even when a SP gets into the fourth or fifth the Manager is out there pulling them after 85 pitches.
The ship is rudderless.
SAd Sox: your point would actually have some merit if Torro and Gonzalez weren’t playing as well as they are. Secondly the “big leaguers” you’re pinning for would end being in the Gonzalez/Torro category.
I don’t disagree that a big part of this is Cora, but we have had more pitchers needing to get pulled after one or two terrible innings than is usual and don’t have a solid rotation behind our new ace. At least we are starting to hit. We have been very lucky that Toro, Gonzalez, and Narvaez have done as well as they have. They are certainly not who any of us would have expected to be carrying the offense.
sad – So true! When you look around the field, you see a lot of young and inexperienced guys. Don’t forget Rafaela is only 24 with just 242 career games.
Hamilton has only 153 career games.
Narvaez has only 56 career games.
Romy has only 198 career games.
Casas has only 251 career games.
That’s a lot of position players with less than 300 career games …. less than 2 full seasons!
That’s one reason why they brought in Bregman, for a veteran Pedroia-like leadership.
At some point they have to make some hard decisions and move one or two of their position players.
Sad – Did you see Devers go into the dugout and totally ignore Cora talking to him? Cora is like a substitute teacher to the players, nobody takes him seriously.
Uncle – What did you think of Buehler getting pulled after just 2 innings and 5 ER.
And yet TWICE over Houck’s last 6 starts Cora left him in to give up 11 ER.
Just another reason why Houck appears to be so unhappy playing for Cora.
Fever- Nothing has made any sense. Letting Houck take such a beating made no sense, it should have been obvious he either had a health issue or had completely lost his feel for the ball. You wonder if Houck is going to come back from this or if he is done as an affective pitcher. Buehler looked half way decent in some of the earlier games but looks terrible now. Giolito looks even worse. I don’t know how much is coaching or if they are no longer going to be major league level starters. I did not have high hopes for Giolito, but had no idea Houck would be such a bust this year.
Uncle – I agree, of the many disappointments this year it has to be Houck for the biggest surprise – right?
Last year at the end everyone thought he just tired out – right?
But I don’t know anyone who expected Gio to be good in the first half after returning from such a long absence – right?
Oh no, I just realized Cora is infecting me too ….. he always ends his statements with a “right” as a question – right?
Ace- Toro and Romy have a few months under their belts. The league hasn’t adjusted to them yet.
Believe me, I’m not “pinning” as you say, for two 28yo’s that couldn’t stick with thr White Sox and Mariners.
The major leaguers i want look like Pete Alonso, look like Teoscar Hernandez, look like Seiya Suzuki or Josh Naylor, you know, major league players.
They don’t look at all like AAAA players that don’t have a real position.
FPG- Devers is completely done with Cora!
Sad – At first months ago I was under the impression Devers didn’t realize Cora’s involvement in all the drama since spring training, but maybe now he finally does see Cora for the snake he really is.
With high expectations this year and poor results you have to wonder if Cora will be out if they don’t improve. Obviously all of the injuries didn’t help, but if he is losing the backing of the players that usually is a sign they need to move on and find someone new to lead the team.
Uncle – lets not fire Cora and let him collect his salary.
Promote him to General Manager, and let Tek manage the team
I would expect that Tek would have the respect of the players. Would love to see him get his chance to manage the Sox.
I was bummed out the Sox included Teel in the deal. Especially considering the Sox plethora of middle infield prospects as well as expensive veteran T.Story. Did the White Sox demand Teel in the deal? They already have C. (#62NLB) Edgar Quero . Would the Sox have been better off including Mayer or Campbell in the deal? Roman Anthony is untouchable. Having a catching prospect as highly rated as Teel is ,is so rare. Offensively and defensively. That being said , I would still do the deal.
Cdc- you may be on to something. I read that Teel played his last few games at AAA at 1B.
Sad – I think nearly every catcher should learn first base. It’s an easy transition, gives them an opportunity to get their bat in a game when they are not catching, and prolongs their career.