The Red Sox are in agreement with reliever Kyle Keller on a minor league contract with an invite to Spring Training, reports Will Sammon of The Athletic. The Nello Gamberdino client would be paid a $1.9MM base salary if he makes the MLB roster.
Chris Cotillo of MassLive adds that the deal includes multiple assignment clauses, the first of which has a mid-April date. At that point, the Red Sox would need to make Keller available to other teams if they haven’t called him up. If another team is willing to add him to the MLB roster, Boston would need to call him up themselves or let him go.
It’s a stronger than average minor league deal for the 6’4″ righty. Keller makes his return to affiliated ball after pitching four seasons in Japan. He spent the first two seasons with the Hanshin Tigers and the most recent two years as a member of the Yomiuri Giants. Keller posted a 2.42 ERA across 152 1/3 innings during his NPB career. He’s coming off a 3.11 showing in 46 1/3 frames. He fanned an above-average 26.3% of batters faced but issued walks at a near-12% clip.
Keller didn’t land a guaranteed roster spot, but he’ll have a chance at solid earnings if he’s able to pitch his way to the big leagues early in the year. He appeared at the MLB level each season between 2019-21. Keller saw time with the Marlins, Angels and Pirates and combined for a 5.83 earned run average over 46 1/3 innings. He sat in the mid-90s with a decent curveball but didn’t throw strikes consistently enough to stick in a big league bullpen.
Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has stockpiled a decent amount of non-roster relief depth who can compete for jobs in camp. Keller joins Vinny Nittoli, Seth Martinez, Devin Sweet, Tayron Guerrero and Hobie Harris as minor league signees.
A lot of Kyles have been signed today.
I was at the Cubs-Reds game when Kyle Farnsworth beat the crap out of Paul Wilson. Good times.
Kit Keller’s great-grandson?
Hellen’s.
He’s got a real touch for pitching.
Bargain Bin Breslow busily buying busts.
so was signing Ranger Suarez a bargin bin buy?
No, Suarez was a panic-buy after they let Bregman get away.
you mean the 32 year old 3B who missed a quarter of the season last year? naw they made the right call passing on him.
Last year, Bregman was an overpay, this year Suarez is a panic buy and sweating every minor league depth signing.
Meanwhile, Fangraphs pre-season prediction has the Red Sox tied in wins with the Jays for 1st in the AL East.
Baseball’s best brain brings bounce backs befitting Boston’s budding bullpen built by Breslow.
Gary – i love it,…. are you auditioning for a job at Boras Corp?
I can’t afford the pay cut.
well played Gary
It’s a decent signing. If he can keep up the good results from Japan, they have a useful bullpen piece, if not he stays in the minors unless someone else wants to give him a chance. It’s not a blockbuster, but he could still be a nice contributor – 1475 innings have to come from somewhere.
Nice flyer on a guy with good success abroad. And another tall guy for Breslow!
Nice depth signing for the Red Sox. Still needs to add lefty relief depth though, as there’s not much quality lefties in the pen beyond Chapman
I’d guess at least 1 of Tolle, Early, Harrison, and Sandoval ends up being a key LHP contributor out of the pen this year.
I’m still confused as to why they shipped out Chris Murphy and Brennan Bernardino. Both were (mostly) pretty good for them last year. And the Sox didn’t really do anything to replace them.
@Hbann22
They were traded in order for the team to get down to 40, on the last day to protect rule-5 eligible players. It allowed them to protect Drohan, Uberstine and Sandlin.
If they had figured out how to move Hicks & Sandlin for salary relief back in November, those two would likely still be on the roster. They are both low-upside guys, but the lack of LHRP depth could hurt them going forward.
Shane Drohan and Jovani Moran are two other LH possibilities for the bullpen.
Early, Tolle, and Harrison will all start in AAA and should be called up in that order to replace injured/underperforming starters.
Sandoval, who never should have been signed, will likely be traded this spring. He has no role and is grossly overpaid to be a swing starter. Some other team should make him a 4/5 starter if he shows he’s healthy/effective in the spring.
Moran and Samaniego should be the other lefties in the pen after Chapman. Underwhelming, but likely.
@JP76, I agree wholeheartedly about Early, Tolle, etc. someone needs to get injured for them to pitch, and they will be used as starters and not as relievers. Also reportedly some in the org feel both would benefit from further AAA seasoning, as they were called up last season ahead of schedule as injury replacements.
Moran is really not very good. He is much worse than Bernardino, imo. The lack of quality lefty relievers remains a need for the Red Sox (as does 2B and 3B and a legit righty power hitter, but that’s another story)
Third Base – I could see at some point in the second half Tolle being used as a high leverage left handed arm for late innings in the pen.
I agree with you about Moran being underwhelming. Who knows about Samaniego. Just think they want to give them chances.
Also agree it would be nice to have better 2B/3B, more righty power, and an above average lefty out of the pen.
@MeowMeow, they’re definitely capable of it but those guys are all starters. Early and Tolle probably will be in AAA until a rotation injury opens up a spot for them. Harrison and/or Sandoval will likely be traded, and are long-relief/spot starters at best.
I agree that that is the plan for those guys (as it should be), but if the projected ML rotation is all healthy and performing, who would you rather see in leverage innings vs. LHB down the stretch: Jovani Moran or Payton Tolle?
It’s a signing that won’t hurt the Sox so I’m ok with it. However I think every Sox fan would really love if they’d get off there *** and go get a second baseman. Love Romy as an infield platoon guy but Hamilton offers defense and that’s it. His bat is god awful. Hamilton as a speed guy on the bench and late defense substitution yes. Breslow has been dancing around this infielder issue all winter. Since Pedy it’s been horrendous at 2B
Quinn – Let’s hope he doesn’t make the MLB roster and then prevent the team from getting someone they really need because they are already at the CBT threshold. That’s happened before.
A week from today pitchers and catchers start reporting, if they are gonna acquire someone they need to do it ASAP.
Wouldn’t be surprised if Rafaela takes over 2B.
Fever—when I said the same thing about Rafaela I was mercilessly attacked. At least I’m not the only one.
Love Raf, but he is a gold glove OF. Much rather him patrolling CF any day
Quinn – Of course CF is the preferred position for him, but you have to look at the big picture …..
What is better for the team?
Rafaela in CF and Sogard/Hamilton/Romy at 2B and one of Duran/Roman/Abreu benched against RHP?
Or Rafaela at 2B and all of Roman, Duran, Abreu in the outfield?
I suppose you could bench Yoshida, Duran or Abreu against LHP but they keep saying they want Abreu and Duran to be everyday players.
THIS. I see the remark that Ceddanne is one of the best CFs in the game and should be playing CF, which is totally ideal, I agree. But if he can play a solid 2B the lineup vs. RHP is so much better with him at 2B and Anthony, Duran, Abreu as the OF (and Yoshida at DH) than any of the other options at 2B and bumping Duran to DH.
Injuries and fatigue and left-handed opposing pitching will still leave plenty of innings for Rafaela in CF as well.
Maybe at some point they’ll find a good-value trade for Duran or something and the logjam will naturally clear.
About 70% of starting pitchers are RH. I think I would sit Yoshida before taking Rafaela out of CF 70% of the time.
I think I liked Breslow’s bargain bin pitcher buys last offseason better. There were at least a couple of guys with pretty decent upside like Burdi. This group seems pretty meh to me.
HBan – Don’t forget Sean “Don’t Call Me Don” Newcomb.
But then Breslow gave him away a few months later, and he became a stud for the Athletics.
Good call on Newcomb. Should’ve held onto him and given him a chance coming out of the bullpen.
Keller had an average fastball velocity of 94.2 MPH last year in the NPB