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Red Sox Rumors

Free Agent Notes: Ozuna, Semien, Simmons, Miller, Moreland, Richards

By Mark Polishuk | January 23, 2021 at 9:51am CDT

The latest buzz from the free agent market…

  • The Dodgers, Brewers, Yankees, and Red Sox are among the teams interested in Marcell Ozuna, according to Hector Gomez of Deportivo Z 101 (via Twitter).  These four clubs are new additions to Ozuna’s market, while the Twins and Mets (also mentioned by Gomez) were linked to the slugger earlier this winter.  Ozuna is looking for at least a four-year contract, Gomez writes.  While financial demands weren’t mentioned, it can be assumed that Ozuna is looking for enough money to put the Dodgers and Yankees well over the $210MM luxury tax threshold, so it’s possible their interest is somewhat limited.  Such a signing would also put Boston close to the threshold, and while the Brewers are nowhere near the tax line, it would represent a very bold move by a Milwaukee team that wasn’t expected to spend much this winter.  It has been a relatively quiet offseason for Ozuna on the rumor mill, as his market may be dependent on whether or not the NL has a designated hitter spot available in 2021 and beyond.
  • Didi Gregorius, Marcus Semien, and Andrelton Simmons “are viewed within the industry as similar enough that no team is compelled to set the market with a contract,” according to Matt Gelb and C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic,  This has created a lot of uncertainty about when any of the shortstop trio might sign, what their next deals might be worth, or what teams will eventually make the leap.  Gelb and Rosecrans discussed the three shortstops with nine  evaluators, who broke down the pros and cons of each player and ranked them 1-2-3 on a ballot.
  • In other news about the shortstops, the Red Sox are likely no longer a fit for Semien now that Enrique Hernandez is heading to Boston.  The Sox were reported to have interest in Semien as a second baseman, but MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo (Twitter links) hears from a source who believes “Semien still wants to sign as a shortstop,” despite interest from teams at other infield positions.  Boston is still looking to add a left-handed hitter to the bench mix, with Cotillo reporting that Brad Miller and Mitch Moreland are possibilities.
  • The Blue Jays were known to have interest in Simmons back in November and in the leadup to the trade deadline, and MLB Network’s Jon Heyman tweets that Simmons is still on Toronto’s radar.
  • Garrett Richards is one player who seems to no longer to be under consideration for the Blue Jays, as Cotillo reports that the Jays aren’t one of the teams still looking to sign the free agent righty.  “At least other teams” besides the Red Sox are still vying for Richards, Cotillo writes, though Boston seems to be relatively far along in discussions with Richards’ camp.
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Boston Red Sox Los Angeles Dodgers Milwaukee Brewers New York Yankees Notes Toronto Blue Jays Andrelton Simmons Brad Miller Didi Gregorius Garrett Richards Marcell Ozuna Marcus Semien Mitch Moreland

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AL News & Rumors: G. Richards, BoSox, Twins, Cruz, Angels, Astros

By Connor Byrne | January 22, 2021 at 8:15pm CDT

The Red Sox and free-agent right-hander Garrett Richards “are in active discussions,” Jon Morosi of MLB.com writes. However, there has been more than one team talking with Richards as of Friday, Morosi adds. The starter-needy Red Sox were rumored to be pursuing Richards as of a week ago. Richards was once at the front end of the Angels’ rotation, but a series of injuries limited him from 2016-19. The 32-year-old stayed healthy and produced decent results with the Padres last season, though, throwing 51 1/3 innings of 4.03 ERA/4.55 SIERA ball and averaging 95 mph on his fastball. [UPDATE: Talks between the Red Sox and Richards “are active and evolving,” according to Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com.]

  • The Twins have increased the value of their one-year offer to free-agent designated hitter Nelson Cruz, Jon Heyman of MLB Network tweets, though Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News reports that actually happened earlier in the offseason. Cruz was looking for a two-year contract at the beginning of the winter, but even for someone who’s as dominant as he is at the plate, that could be difficult to obtain for a 40-year-old. Of course, with no official announcement on whether the universal DH will remain in place in 2021, Cruz probably isn’t in a hurry to sign anywhere.
  • The Angels are “very active” in their pursuit of starting pitching, general manager Perry Minasian told Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic and other reporters Friday. While Minasian did sign veteran left-hander Jose Quintana to a one-year, $8MM contract this week, adding him to a group led by Dylan Bundy, Andrew Heaney, Griffin Canning and perhaps Shohei Ohtani, there still appears to be room for improvement. In light of Minasian’s comment, it’s worth noting that the Angels reportedly remain in the mix for two of the best starters on the market in Trevor Bauer and Jake Odorizzi.
  • Speaking with reporters Friday, Astros GM James Click suggested the team doesn’t expect to be that aggressive for the rest of the offseason, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com tweets. The Astros agreed to re-sign outfielder Michael Brantley and reunited with catcher Jason Castro this week, but their roster took a hit with the loss of outfielder George Springer to the Blue Jays. Otherwise, the bullpen has come up as a potential area of the need for the team (it did address it by signing Ryne Stanek and Pedro Baez in free agency), but the Astros don’t necessarily feel a sense of urgency to address it further. It’s possible they will enter 2021 without someone who has extensive experience as a closer, per Click (via McTaggart).
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Boston Red Sox Houston Astros Los Angeles Angels Minnesota Twins Notes Garrett Richards Nelson Cruz

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Starting Pitching Rumors: Odorizzi, Paxton, Arrieta, Walker

By Steve Adams | January 22, 2021 at 2:14pm CDT

Right-hander Jake Odorizzi’s current market includes the Angels, Giants, Blue Jays, Twins and Red Sox, tweets MLB.com’s Jon Morosi. Most of those clubs have been at least speculatively linked to Odorizzi at some point this winter, although it’s of at least some note that there’s still interest after those teams have added other pieces to their rotation already. The Angels agreed to a deal with Jose Quintana earlier this week, and the Twins inked J.A. Happ on a matching one-year deal. The Red Sox have brought back Martin Perez, while the Giants have brought in Anthony DeSclafani and Alex Wood. Odorizzi is still seeking a three-year deal, tweets MLB Network’s Jon Heyman. He and the Twins are still not seeing eye to eye in terms of the length of a potential contract or the total guarantee, Heyman adds.

A few more notes on the market for starting pitchers…

  • Lefty James Paxton is among the rotation targets the Blue Jays are taking a look at, tweets Heyman. A link between the two sides seemed almost inevitable given that the Jays have been tied to most free agents as they cast a wide net amid an aggressive offseason and given that Toronto is regularly at least speculated upon as a landing spot for Canadian-born free agents. Paxton, who threw for teams late last month, missed the bulk of the 2020 season due to February back surgery and then a forearm strain this past summer. Beyond being limited to 20 1/3 ineffective frames while battling those injuries, Paxton saw a drop of more than three miles per hour in his average heater last year. Of course, if he’s healthy, the 32-year-old would rank among the most impactful arms on the open market. From 2017-19, “Big Maple” tossed 447 innings of 3.54 ERA ball with a near-identical 3.45 SIERA. He also posted an outstanding 30.1 percent strikeout rate and a 7.3 percent walk rate that sat comfortably south of the league average. At his best, he’s a playoff-caliber starter, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see hopeful contenders pursuing short-term deals with Paxton in weeks to come.
  • From one Scott Boras client to another, right-hander Jake Arrieta is planning to throw for interested teams a week from today, Heyman tweets. Arrieta missed his final few starts of the season due to a hamstring injury — his second straight year truncated by injury. The former Cy Young winner underwent arthroscopic surgery near the end of the 2019 campaign after attempting to pitch through bone spurs in his elbow for much of the season. Overall, Arrieta’s three-year, $75MM deal with the Phillies didn’t pay dividends. After a solid first year in Philly, he logged just 180 innings of 4.75 ERA/4.82 SIERA ball with an 18.1 percent strikeout rate that was nowhere near his 27 percent peak with the Cubs. The Twins plan to watch Arrieta’s bullpen session next week, tweets SKOR North’s Darren Wolfson, although he adds that Minnesota is represented at nearly all showcases of this nature, so this is perhaps more due diligence than it is keen interest in Arrieta specifically.
  • The Mariners have yet to approach right-hander Taijuan Walker with a serious offer to bring him back to the organization, Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times reports. At the time of Walker’s trade to the Blue Jays over the summer, Seattle GM Jerry Dipoto suggested that he might look to bring the righty back to the team in the near future (Twitter link via Jessamyn McIntyre). That has yet to happen, it seems, although it’s also worth noting that Divish reported earlier in the week that Mariners ownership has limited the front office’s payroll flexibility “more than expected” this winter. The Mariners may yet add another arm to the rotation mix, but depending on the extent to which spending is limited, a multi-year deal candidate like Walker might be out of reach.
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Boston Red Sox Los Angeles Angels Minnesota Twins Notes San Francisco Giants Seattle Mariners Toronto Blue Jays Jake Arrieta Jake Odorizzi James Paxton Taijuan Walker

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AL Notes: Correa, Tigers, Red Sox

By Connor Byrne | January 21, 2021 at 9:32pm CDT

The Astros suffered a major loss in free agency this week with the departure of outfielder George Springer, who agreed to sign with the Blue Jays. Next winter, they could see shortstop Carlos Correa follow Springer in exiting on the open market, though the 26-year-old told Astroline Radio (h/t: Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle) that he prefers to stick with the franchise for the long haul. “I love this organization. I love the Astros. I would love to be an Astro for life,” the one-time All-Star and former AL Rookie of the Year said. “I hope they’re on the same side I am. If they’re on the same side, I would love to be an Astro for the rest of my life.” For now, Correa and the Astros are gearing up for an arbitration hearing (he filed for a $12.5MM salary; they filed for $9.75MM), but he understands “it’s a business and you have to leave your feelings out of it.”

  • The Tigers have shown interest in free-agent utilityman Marwin Gonzalez, Jon Morosi of MLB.com tweets. Signing with Detroit would reunite Gonzalez with new manager A.J. Hinch, who was the Astros’ skipper during part of Gonzalez’s time in Houston. Gonzalez had his best year in 2017 under Hinch, which was also a World Series-winning campaign for the Astros. The success Gonzalez had as an Astro led the Twins to sign him to a two-year, $21MM contract going into 2019, but the club didn’t get great value from that investment. The switch-hitting 31-year-old batted an underwhelming .248/.311/.387 in 662 plate appearances with Minnesota, though he did continue to provide defensive versatility. He saw at least some action at first, second, third, short and both outfield positions as a Twin.
  • Along with Gonzalez, the Tigers are interested in first baseman Mitch Moreland, per Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press. Moreland has been on the market since the Padres declined his $3MM option at the start of the offseason. The 35-year-old divided last season between San Diego and Boston, with which he combined for a strong .265/.342/.551 line and 10 home runs in 152 plate appearances. Moreland’s production did plummet as the year progressed, though.
  • The Red Sox continue to have interest in utility player Enrique Hernandez, as Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports that the two sides have held talks “in recent days.” However, Cotillo adds that it’s unknown if the Red Sox and Hernandez are nearing an agreement. In Boston, the former Dodger would be a candidate to rack up plenty of reps at second base, where he has played frequently. The Sox currently have Christian Arroyo, Michael Chavis and Yairo Munoz as in-house candidates to handle the keystone.
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Boston Red Sox Detroit Tigers Houston Astros Notes Carlos Correa Enrique Hernandez Marwin Gonzalez Mitch Moreland

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Minor MLB Transactions: 1/20/2021

By Jeff Todd | January 21, 2021 at 12:15am CDT

Let’s check in on the latest minor moves from around the game …

  • The Red Sox have a deal of the minor-league variety with right-hander Zac Grotz, per Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com (via Twitter). Grotz receives an invitation to MLB Spring Training in the agreement. He’ll be looking to reach the majors for the third-straight year after reaching the professional ranks as a 28th-round pick. The former Mariner has surrendered twenty earned runs with a 22:19 K/BB ratio through 24 2/3 MLB innings.
  • The Winnipeg Goldeyes of the indy ball American Association have announced the addition of a pair of former big league hurlers. 31-year-old Ryan Dull will seek to earn his way back into the affiliated ranks after a series of tough campaigns. He excelled for the Athletics in 2016 but has struggled with injuries and performance lapses since. Also coming aboard is righty Josh Lucas, who has thrown 37 1/3 innings of 5.54 ERA ball at the game’s highest level (including a brief stint alongside Dull with the Athletics in 2018). Additionally, former Phillies farmhand Kyle Martin will be back to reprise his role as a top slugger for the Goldeyes.
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Boston Red Sox Transactions Josh Lucas Kyle Martin Ryan Dull Zac Grotz

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FA Notes: Dodgers, Marwin, Mets, Tigers, BoSox, Anibal, Teheran

By Connor Byrne | January 20, 2021 at 6:55pm CDT

The Dodgers are seeking a right-handed-hitting infielder, and free-agent third baseman Justin Turner is their No. 1 choice, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network. While the team has shown interest in fellow righty-hitting infielder Marcus Semien, Heyman notes it may be difficult for the team to sign both players. Turner spent 2014-20 as a Dodger and has been one of the majors’ top hitters during his Los Angeles tenure. The 36-year-old is reportedly seeking a four-year contract, however, and it’s tough to envision the Dodgers or anyone else saying yes to that.

  • The Twins have expressed interest in re-signing utility player Marwin Gonzalez, Mark Feinsand and Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com report. The switch-hitting Gonzalez spent the first several years of his career in Houston, where he was particularly productive during its World Series-winning season in 2017, but has seen his numbers tumble since then. The Twins signed Gonzalez to a two-year, $21MM guarantee before 2019, but he slumped to a .248/.311/.387 line with 20 home runs in 662 plate appearances over the life of that contract. Gonzalez did play every defensive position but catcher and center field as a Twin, though, and that versatility is surely among the reasons they could re-sign the 31-year-old.
  • Enrique Hernandez, another free-agent utilityman, received “pretty strong” interest from the Mets before they fired general manager Jared Porter on Tuesday, Heyman relays. It isn’t clear whether the Mets are still in on Hernandez now that Porter is out of the organization. Hernandez, 29, lined up all over the diamond with the Dodgers from 2014-20, but his offensive production has lacked over the past couple seasons. He slashed just .230/.270/.410 with five home runs in 148 plate appearances last year.
  • The Tigers have interest in free-agent catcher Jason Castro, Jon Morosi of MLB.com tweets. As Morosi notes, Castro played under new Tigers skipper A.J. Hinch for two seasons when he was the Astros’ manager. The 33-year-old Castro would give the Tigers a credible veteran at catcher, where Grayson Greiner and Jake Rogers – who have struggled in the majors – are the only 40-man options on the roster right now. Castro, who divided last season between the Angels and Padres, looked to be nearing a reunion with Houston late last month, but things have gone silent on that front in recent weeks.
  • The Red Sox “were ready to move on” two-time AL Cy Young-winning righty Corey Kluber before he agreed to a one-year, $11MM deal with the archrival Yankees last week, but they might have wanted to structure his contract differently, Alex Speier of the Boston Globe reports. With the Red Sox unlikely to contend in 2021, Speier suggests their preference may have been to sign Kluber to a one-year pact with an option. Kluber is a Massachusetts resident, but with New York more likely to push for a World Series in 2021, he found the Yankees to be a more appealing pick than the Red Sox.
  • Twenty-four teams attended the showcase for free-agent righties Anibal Sanchez and Julio Teheran on Tuesday, per Heyman, who adds that both hurlers could sign in the near future. While the 36-year-old Sanchez and Teheran, 29, have accomplished plenty in the majors, they’re looking for contracts at a less-than-ideal time after performing poorly in 2020. Sanchez could only muster a 6.62 ERA in 53 innings with the Nationals, while Teheran put up an even more disastrous 10.05 mark over 31 1/3 frames as an Angel.
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Boston Red Sox Detroit Tigers Los Angeles Dodgers Minnesota Twins New York Mets Notes Anibal Sanchez Corey Kluber Enrique Hernandez Jason Castro Julio Teheran Justin Turner Marcus Semien Marwin Gonzalez

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Pitching Rumors: Hand, Jeffress, Anibal, Teheran

By Steve Adams | January 19, 2021 at 3:17pm CDT

The Dodgers have been linked to free-agent lefty Brad Hand over the past week or so, but they’re more on the “periphery” of his market, writes Fansided’s Robert Murray. The Mets are still in talks with Hand and his representatives, while both the Astros and Blue Jays are also involved to varying extents. Reports that Hand was closing in on a deal with the Mets last week proved a bit premature, although it seems they’re still squarely in the mix for the former All-Star closer. As for the Dodgers, even if they’re not major players in the Hand market at the moment, Murray suggests they’d still like to add another reliever to the bullpen.

A few more notes on the free agent pitching market as it starts to percolate…

  • MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand tweets that Jeremy Jeffress is on the radar of several clubs, including the Red Sox, Cubs, Astros, Dodgers, Mets, Phillies, Nationals and Blue Jays. It’s a wide field, though the level of interest of each team surely varies. The 33-year-old Jeffress was dominant back in 2018 but hasn’t replicated that form since. He did post an aesthetically pleasing 1.54 ERA and 54.4 percent grounder rate in 23 1/3 innings with the Cubs last year, but the rest of his numbers were something of a mess. Jeffress’ 13.6 percent walk rate was his worst since establishing himself as a consistent presence in MLB bullpens, while his 19.3 percent strikeout rate was 10 percent lower than his 29.8 percent clip from that brilliant 2018 campaign. Last year also saw Jeffress post career-worsts in average fastball velocity (93.3 mph), average exit velocity (89.9 mph) and hard-hit rate (45.6 percent). If Jeffress can rediscover his ’18 form, he’d be a premium late-inning option, but last year’s ERA was propped up by a .161 average on balls in play that is miles south of his career .308 mark.
  • Anibal Sanchez and Julio Teheran will be throwing in front of scouts during a showcase today, and several teams will have personnel on hand.  The list of confirmed attendees includes the Rays (as per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times), Twins (SKOR North’s Darren Wolfson), Marlins (MLB.com’s Christina De Nicola), and Mets (the New York Post’s Mike Puma).
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Boston Red Sox Chicago Cubs Houston Astros Los Angeles Dodgers Miami Marlins Minnesota Twins New York Mets Notes Philadelphia Phillies Tampa Bay Rays Toronto Blue Jays Washington Nationals Anibal Sanchez Brad Hand Jeremy Jeffress Julio Teheran

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Red Sox Notes: Pedroia, Benintendi, Sale, Lester

By Mark Polishuk | January 19, 2021 at 12:52pm CDT

“A resolution” between Dustin Pedroia and the Red Sox could come at some point this month, The Boston Globe’s Pete Abraham reports (Twitter link).  Knee injuries limited Pedroia to just nine games in 2018-19, and he didn’t play at all during the 2020 season, with Abraham adding that Pedroia isn’t intending to make one final comeback attempt.  2021 marks the final season of the eight-year, $110MM extension Pedroia signed in July 2013, and the second baseman is owed $12MM for the coming season.

There has been an expectation that Pedroia could be cut loose in one fashion or another once the Sox were in need of a 40-man roster spot, as their 40-man is currently full.  Some type of buyout rather than an outright release is probably the likelier route, since “given Dustin’s status, [the Sox will] want to do this correctly,” Abraham notes.  One of the key figures in this era of Red Sox baseball, Pedroia hit .299/.365/.439 over 6777 career plate appearances (all in a Sox uniform), with a resume that includes the 2008 AL MVP Award, four All-Star appearances, and World Series rings from Boston’s 2007 and 2013 championship seasons.

Some more from Fenway Park…

  • The Red Sox have asked at least one team for “a younger corner outfielder along with a minor-league pitcher not necessarily on the 40-man roster” as the trade return for Andrew Benintendi, WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford writes.  While Benintendi has drawn interest from several teams, the Phillies and Reds haven’t been involved in talks.  (The Rangers are also not in the mix, as Bradford originally reported last week.)  Former Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski is now running the Phils’ front office and the Reds have explored a Benintendi trade in the past, so there was speculation that those two clubs could be looking into acquiring Benintendi this time around.
  • Chris Sale’s return from Tommy John surgery is likely to come on the higher end of the usual 12-15 month recovery timeline, as ESPN.com’s Buster Olney writes that the Sox are “expected to be deliberate” in bringing the southpaw back to action.  Sale underwent his TJ procedure at the end of last March, putting him on track to return in late June or early July.  (Assuming the 2021 schedule goes as planned, it is easy to see a scenario where Sale doesn’t pitch until after the July 12-14 All-Star break.)  Since Sale is under contract through at least the 2024 season, the club is “apt to take a conservative approach” to ensure that Sale is fully recovered and ready for 2022 and beyond, rather than rushing him in any way this season.
  • The Red Sox hadn’t been in touch with Jon Lester as of December 9, Rob Bradford reported last month, and Bradford tweeted yesterday that there hadn’t been any new contact between the two sides prior to Lester’s new deal with the Nationals.  While Boston has been looking at a wide range of starting pitching options this offseason, it seems like a reunion with Lester was simply not on the club’s radar.
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Boston Red Sox Cincinnati Reds Notes Philadelphia Phillies Andrew Benintendi Chris Sale Dustin Pedroia Jon Lester

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Red Sox Trade C.J. Chatham To Phillies

By Steve Adams | January 18, 2021 at 12:03pm CDT

The Phillies have acquired minor league infielder C.J. Chatham from the Red Sox in exchange for a player to be named later, per announcements from both teams. Right-hander Victor Arano has been designated for assignment in order to clear a roster spot, the Phillies added. MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo reported (via Twitter) that Chatham was likely headed to Philadelphia just prior to the announcement.

Chatham, 26, was the Red Sox’ second-round pick back in 2016, during Dave Dombrowski’s time as the team’s president of baseball operations. It seems as though Dombrowski, now heading up the Phillies’ baseball ops department, is still a firm believer in Chatham’s skill set. Chatham has yet to make his big league debut but spent the 2020 season at Boston’s alternate training site, where he continued to build on a solid 2019 showing in the upper minors. In 467 plate appearances between Double-A and Triple-A that year, Chatham hit .298/.333/.408 while logging time at both middle infield positions.

Both Baseball America and MLB.com ranked Chatham 14th among Boston farmhands this past summer. BA tabs him as at least a bench piece in the Majors and perhaps even a passable regular option at second base. Chatham has fanned in just 18.2 percent of his minor league plate appearances and has an all-fields, contact-oriented approach at the plate due to a lack of power, per those scouting reports. He’s a versatile defender who could handle any infield spot, and Chatham still has a pair of minor league options remaining, which gives the Phils some flexible depth for the next couple of seasons.

From Boston’s vantage point, a roster spot was needed to make Martin Perez’s new one-year deal with the team official. The Sox have yet to announce the Perez signing, but that’ll happen once he passes a physical.

As for the 25-year-old Arano (26 next month), he spent the 2020 season in the Phillies’ 60-man player pool but didn’t make it to the Majors. Arano was limited to just three appearances in 2019 due to elbow surgery, and he missed a chunk of the 2018 campaign due to shoulder issues — rotator cuff inflammation, more specifically. He made his big league debut back in 2017 but has still managed to tally just 74 1/3 frames, in large part because of injury.

Of course, Arano has also been impressive when he’s been healthy enough to take the hill. In those 74 2/3 innings, he boasts a 2.65 ERA and 3.38 SIERA. He’s also punched out 26.3 percent of the hitters he’s faced and walked a very manageable 7.6 percent of opponents. Arano is a fly-ball pitcher with average fastball velocity (93.6 mph) who leans heavily on his slider that has helped him to post an impressive 16.6 percent swinging-strike rate in his young career. The Phils have a week to trade Arano, release him or place him on outright waivers.

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Boston Red Sox Philadelphia Phillies Transactions C.J. Chatham Victor Arano

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Pitching Notes: Castillo, Reds, Anibal, Red Sox, Cora

By Mark Polishuk | January 17, 2021 at 9:05pm CDT

Much of the Reds’ offseason has been focused around moving players (i.e. trading Raisel Iglesias, non-tendering Archie Bradley) rather than adding, and eyebrows were raised last month when it was reported that Luis Castillo’s name was coming up in trade talks.  There wasn’t any indication that those talks were serious, however, and Reds VP/general manager Nick Krall issued a firm denial on the subject to reporters (including MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon).  According to Krall, speculation about a Castillo trade is “completely false. We intend to have [Castillo] as a member of our rotation for 2021.”

Castillo and the Reds recently agreed to an arbitration-avoiding $4.2MM contract for 2021, and the right-hander is still under team control through 2023 thanks to two more years of arbitration eligibility.  Between this affordability, the three years of control, and Castillo’s front-of-the-rotation ability, there isn’t really any pressing reason for Cincinnati to move Castillo.  Since the Reds seems to be focusing on cutting payroll this winter, an argument could be made that Castillo could be attached to a deal that would get a bigger contract (i.e. Mike Moustakas, Nick Castellanos) off the books, but that would seem like an awfully extreme move.  One would imagine Castillo wouldn’t be traded unless the Reds were reversing course entirely and now looking to rebuild.

More pitching notes from around the league…

  • Julio Teheran’s showcase on Tuesday will include another Mato Sports Management client, as MLB Network’s Jon Heyman (Twitter link) reports that Anibal Sanchez will also be throwing for scouts.  Like Teheran, Sanchez is looking to rebound from a rough 2020 season, as Sanchez posted a 6.62 ERA over 53 innings for the Nationals last year.  The Phillies were recently linked to Sanchez, but it has been an otherwise quiet winter for news about the 36-year-old.  Considering Sanchez was still delivering solid results as recently as 2019 (for the World Series champion Nats, no less), his market could start to pick up if scouts like what they see on Tuesday.  The Red Sox will have scouts on hand to see Sanchez and Teheran, MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo tweets.
  • Speaking of the Red Sox, manager Alex Cora noted that his team is still exploring more rotation additions.  “I’m going to keep saying it all the way until April 1 [Opening Day], this puzzle is not completed.  We have to be patient,” Cora said in an interview on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (audio link).  That being said, Cora is also pleased with the current group of hurlers in Boston’s organization, saying that the Sox have more pitching depth now than they had in either the 2019 or 2020 seasons.  “Little by little, the front office did a good job during the season last year and [in] the offseason to add some quality arms, some intriguing arms,” Cora said.
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Boston Red Sox Cincinnati Reds Notes Alex Cora Anibal Sanchez Luis Castillo Nick Krall

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    Zack Wheeler Recommended For Thoracic Outlet Syndrome Surgery

    Frankie Montas Done For 2025 Due To “Pretty Significant” UCL Injury

    IL Activations: Chapman, Yates

    Padres Place Jackson Merrill On 10-Day Injured List

    Rangers Place Marcus Semien On IL, Activate Adolis Garcia

    Tigers Sign Kevin Newman To Minor League Deal

    Mariners Designate Dylan Moore For Assignment

    Astros Designate Shawn Dubin For Assignment

    Jon Gray Non-Committal About Playing Beyond 2025

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