The Red Sox will promote top pitching prospect Eduardo Rodriguez, Tim Britton of the Providence Journal reports (Twitter links).
Rodriguez may only receive a spot start, per Britton, but regardless it’ll be the first MLB experience for the 22-year-old lefty. Acquired last summer from the Orioles for relief ace Andrew Miller, Rodriguez entered this year (as he did last) as a consensus top-100 prospect league-wide.
With a late May call-up, Rodriguez would stand some chance of achieving Super Two status if he can stick on the roster, but that’s hardly a sure thing. And it seems that he will need to pitch his way into a regular rotation spot, as the club is simply pushing back its current starting five.
Though his value had dipped somewhat at the time he was sent to Boston, Rodriguez was still quite a prize (the result of a trade deadline bidding war). He also quickly restored his former luster, according to reports at the time, by regaining fastball velocity in short order.
After a dominant end to his season at the Double-A level last year, Rodriguez earned a promotion to the highest level of the minors to open 2015. He has not disappointed, striking out 8.2 and walking just 1.3 batters per nine over 48 1/3 innings, posting a 2.98 ERA for Pawtucket.
Now, Boston will see what the youngster can provide at the big league level. It’s no secret that the club’s starting pitching has had its struggles, though the group has been somewhat better in recent weeks. It seems likely that Rodriguez could earn another start, at least, with a solid outing. Certainly, it behooves the Red Sox to give him a chance and see what they have as they weigh outside additions over the summer.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
I’m very excited to see him. He has been pretty much dominate the whole year. He hasn’t walked many, strikes out a few, and gets lots of grounders. Also, he is sporting a 2.39 FIP which is excellent.
Good luck. That trade was a steal for your team. I ain’t no GM but I would never trade a top 50 prospect for a relief pitcher in a contract year, especially around the deadline, Unless I was certain I’d get that relief pitcher back as a FA.
I wouldn’t either, but I guess you could make a legitimate argument for the O’s. At the time, they still had Harvey and Bundy as top pitching prospects too, and Rodriguez’s stock was low (though he was experiencing some bad luck). It was certainly an overpay (which makes it scary to envision what type of package Chapman could land), but one that the O’s could afford to make (albeit both Harvey and Bundy are struggling with arm injuries I believe).
The Tigers may have been offering Robbie Ray, because they thought they had won the bidding on Miller. Baltimore had to up their offer accordingly. Miller may have been the difference in the playoffs.
Robbie Ray is with a Diamondback minor league affiliate. He was traded in the offseason.
Ray was a member of the Tigers organization at the time of the trade.
Correct. The Tigers traded him to the Diamondbacks in the Shane Greene deal. During last season is when the Miller offer occurred.
The Tigers offered Jake Thompson and another couple lesser prospects
That’s a good offer, too. where was that reported?
The only one would be Mariano Riviera and that might be questionable.
As an Os fan I was very disappointed to see him traded. He looks like a solid #3 with potential to be a 2 in almost any rotation. Also still very young and shown a lot of durability and consistentcy. I’m rooting for him.
He can’t possibly be worse than Cy Young Joe Kelly, can he? (for those who don’t know, this is not mocking Red Sox fans. This is mocking Joe Kelly who predicted he would win the 2015 Cy Young Award).
Oh believe me, we mock him too.
I’ve never been a fan of the Joe Kelly trade but honestly what’s the dude supposed to say, “Yeah I think I’ll be mediocre at best”?
What’s the dude supposed to say? Do you honestly think a reporter would ask or asked him, “So do you think you’re going to win the Cy Young Award?”
He was on a talk radio show and asked about how he thought he was going to do this season.
If a reporter asked Ryan Howard pre-season how he think he would do, would Ryan Howard say he’d be the MVP? I’m not comparing Howard as a hitter to Kelly as a pitcher, but I think you get what I”m saying. It’s a bold prediction to say you’re going to be the best pitcher in your league.
I dunno, does Ryan Howard have a sense of humor?
I don’t know, but how do you figure Kelly is having a sense of humor? Sounds like he was serious to me.
You took the whole interview out of context. Do you really believe he was serious when he said that? Youre just hearing what you want to hear so you have something else to dig at Red Sox fans about.
“Do you really believe he was serious when he said that?”
I didn’t hear the interview so I don’t know. I remember the 2011 Red Sox were going to challenge the 1927 for the greatest team ever (Boston writer wrote an article on that. Look it up).
and which Red Sox player said this?
It wasn’t a player, it was a reporter. I mentioned that already.
Again, I didn’t hear the interview, I just read multiple articles. And based on the quotes he said, it didn’t seem like he was joking. Even Allen Craig, after he heard Kelly’s comments, said he wouldn’t bet against it.
Joe Kelly has some unbelievable raw stuff. There are other pitchers less likely than him to win a Cy Young. Kelly at his 90th percentile is likely a really good starter.
This is why he frustrates me so much. He shows flashes of brilliance, but he can’t continually string it together. He reminds me soooooo much of Clay Buchholz. I really hope he either clicks at some point, or Boston packages him in a trade for an established pitcher as even though he has a erratic stuff, he’s got a strong base for a proper pitching coach to mold.
So a writer said something stupid. As if that hasn’t happened before.
Did I say writers don’t say stupid things? I’m just saying Kelly did. And his results prove it, and him predicting it is written on many many articles online, not once is the word “kidding” or “joking” used. I honestly think Kelly was serious.
It’s almost as if tone and context matter when you’re listening to somebody.
He was being playful with the media. There are plenty of things about the Red Sox to be critical of right now, but this is not one of them.
“He was being playful with the media.”
You have proof of that? Just asking.
I’m using inference.
Do you have proof he was being serious?
1 – His own words. He never once since then has said he was kidding about it since then.
2 – Posted on numerous sites without one saying he was kidding, so it’s obvious his quote Is Not taken with a grain of salt
3- His own teammate (well I guess I could now say Old teammate), Allen Craig, in response, said he wouldn’t bet against him.
4- Articles writing why he Won’t win the Cy Young and said he was silly for saying such a thing, yet he hasn’t responded to that either
My last words of advice for you all – “Look it up”
Oh come on, you’re better than this. You seriously think he really thought he was going to win the Cy Young? No, that was simply his way of showing confidence in his ability to be a good pitcher (which he also hasn’t done, but that’s irrelevant). He could have just as easily said “I’m going to be really good this year” and would have meant exactly the same thing.
“He could have just as easily said “I’m going to be really good this year” and would have meant exactly the same thing.”
He said this also FYI. Look it up. And there’s a Huge difference between the 2. One is being confident. The other is um, well, pretty much wishful thinking
I really don’t care anymore man. I just brought it up because he was laughed at before and is being laughed at now. Why the sensitivity? If I was a Sox fan, I’d be laughing too. I wouldn’t whine about other fan bases mocking him
If CC Sabathia said this, I’d mock him just as much.
You’re putting way too much of your energy into this. It’s a non-issue.
Nobody said it was an issue.
You just huffed and puffed through all of this. It’s very clearly an issue for you. Yankees fans got it bad.
Because people like yourself keep responding to me about it. My gosh. Red Sox fans are so sensitive.
lololol I’m the furthest thing from a Red Sox fan, I’m just not blinded by my fandom.
Then I guess you’re a Cardinals fan defending his teams former pitcher?
Nope.
If Joe Kelly had solid numbers this season, I doubt many people would say at this point that he was joking when he made that remark, and instead would probably say something along the lines of “yeah he wasn’t kidding”.
No…most Boston fans knew it was tounge and cheek when he said it… Doesnt matter if he won it or not. Stop trying do hard to hate on sox fans. Its not working.
It’s not about hating (though of course I do hate the Sox), I just find the quote funny. If CC Sabathia said this, Sox fans (and every fan) would laugh at him too. As a Yankee fan I’d also laugh at him.
I dont think he was serious when he said it…at least thats what I got from it. But yeah, we still bust on him for saying it.
I think there’s space between winning the Cy Young and mediocre that he should have been shooting for. But honestly, I like Kelly, I just think he’s a thrower and not a pitcher. He’d also probably benefit from a more experienced catcher.
Correct me if I”m wrong and I Very well may be, but I heard most writers/scouts say Kelly would be better as a reliever. I could be confusing him with someone else on the Sox, but I don’t think I am.
His problems lead me to believe he should be a starter or nothing. He gets in trouble when he starts to overthrow and sacrifice location for velocity. That would seem to indicate that relief would not be a good idea, at least to me. What he has to do is take a few MPH off his fastball, use it less and locate it better.
That’s about right. It would limit his exposure and let him air it out (and push 100mph). It would also mask a lot of his control problems. He could potentially be a pretty good closer.
I’m curious, how has Swihart looked? I don’t watch Sox games and numbers don’t always tell the tale.
He looks like a guy who could benefit from a few more months in AAA. Not horrible. He’s really fast for a catcher. The bat hasn’t really been there though. Nothing glaring bad about his defense, probably would rate as an average defender . Just probably up a bit too soon.
He has trouble handling fast stuff inside !
I don’t often agree with you but I have to agree here. He is only 26 and has been caught by Yadier Molina his whole career who just so happens to be a top 5 catcher in the league and probably the number one defensive catcher in baseball. Then he gets traded and all of a sudden he has to throw to an inexperienced Christian Vazquez who is great defensively but like i said, little major league experience to none,but then he went down and now has to pitch to another rookie in Swiihart.
That’s the thing though, Kelly’s issue is himself. He wants to throw his fastball 90% of the time, and the young catchers are letting him. He needs a veteran to tell him no. He also needs someone to settle him down and tell him to stop overthrowing. He needs to stop throwing and start pitching.
Stop thinking and start pitching. Same with Buchholtz. When buchholtz isn’t thinking so much he is electric like a top 5 pitcher. Whrn he starts to take his time between pitches, he starts thinking too much. When I was in fourth grade my teacher told me I need to stop over thinking things too much because I know how to do it. Same for Buchholtz. Stop thinking and throw the baseball. That is something nice about being a pitcher. You control the pace of the game. Right now Buchholtz is taking too much time.
When it comes down to it, both Buchholtz and Kelly have the potential to be top of the rotation guys… but they will never reach it if they aren’t there mentally
I completely agree but to say you are going to win a cy young award is a bit much when you are not already a top tier pitcjer in the league. I thinka more aappropriate answer would have been something like, “I see myself contributing to a team that can go to world series.”
If I remember correctly he was joking himself when he said that
Doesn’t appear that way. Based on the quotes I’m reading, he sounded confident like he was going to do it
But hey I can bet no one would have predicted Kluber to have such a great year last year and win the Cy Young, so anything is possible.
I just remember the sports radio guys in Boston saying that Kelly is known as a jokester and he was joking when he said it but I haven’t actually heard the quote or read it.
When asked a 2nd time, this is what he siad
“Yeah, I’m going to win this year. That’s what I told the radio guys,” Kelly said Saturday at the Baseball Winter Weekend at Foxwoods Resort Casino. “They didn’t believe me, so ducks to be them.”
FYI, the word he used in the last sentence isn’t Ducks. I just changed it to that. I’m sure you know what word he said.
Well, I suppose you are right in doing so… maybe cy young is a bit steep but Curt Schilling is rigjt in saying he should be an all star pitcher considering his stuff
Hey, the season’s young, sigh.
Peter Gammons just got real perky
Okay, now there is a pleasant surprise.
The Red Sox won’t give up a top prospect for 3+ years of Hamels but insisted on a top prospect for 3 months of Miller.. Nice job on the part of Cherington.. I hope this guy turns out to be the stud the Sox desperately need because the $20m dollar man Rick Porcello has been getting beat up..
Porcello’s making 12.5M in 2015.
Yeah I know I was referring to the $20m a year extension that he signed last month.. But yeah..
You upvoted your own post? Lol..
Those situations have little in common. The Phillies wanted a top 20 guy + other top prospects. Erods value was at a low point and the Red Sox are not gonna help a devision rival without getting something nice. Porcello is 26 and it’s super rare to be able to lock up a younger pitcher. 20 million doesn’t get you what it used to.
Below are pitchers who made $20+ million in a season and listed was their career ERA+ at the time they were given their contracts
CC Sabathia – 120
Felix Hernandez – 128
Justin Verlander – 124
Roy Halladay – 133
Clayton Kershaw – 152
Cliff Lee – 112
Zack Greinke – 114
Matt Cain – 124
Tim Lincecum – 121
Roger Clemens – (well in fairness, I’ll just say his ERA+ the previous 3 seasons was 153)
Johan Santana – 141
Cole Hamels – 126
Max Scherzer – 117
Jon Lester – 121
Masahiro Tanaka – null
Now, are you ready for it?
Rick Porcello – 97.
Porcello may not be great but he is a good pitcher and the Red Sox took a gamble on age since hes going into his prime. They wanted to lock up a spot in the rotation and they had to pay that because he was approaching FA. Lets not kid ourselves here, for a team like Boston this really isnt a huge deal, pretty much all those guys you said also have/had monster deals covering non prime years.
Except there are no stats at all to show that he is a good pitcher. He now has a career ERA+ of 96 which is Below average
He has been, at best, an average pitcher for his career. One good season (2014) won’t make you a very good pitcher going forward. See Rickey Romero who got released 1 year after a being a Cy Young candidate.
I agree it is not a huge deal for Boston and they can easily afford it, but it doesn’t make it a good deal
With a team stacked with pitching in the minors, I don’t think this was a must move for Boston because as mentioned, A – Their farm is stocked with pitching, and B – They can get better pitchers on the market next offseason
Most prospects fail so I doubt they see a future with more then one or two of the current pitching prospects in the rotation. In the days of 10 year muti $100 million deals I think its hard to argue that a 4 year 80 million deal for a 26 year old who was about to be a free agent coming off his best year was bad. I mean a 33 year old James Sheilds got 75 million and we have seen pitchers like Ervin Santana and Ricky Nolasco get big deals. I don’t think 80 million was a steal but I dont think his market value would have been much if any lower.
As for Romero I have no clue what you are referring too. Romero was last effective in 2011. He was released in 2015.
It may have been his best year but 1 good (not great) year shouldn’t make you get $20+ million for 4 years. I think Porcello’s value has shown to be about what Ervin Santana has just got, about 4 year/$52 million. $13 million a year and $20+ million a year is a big difference. Boston isn’t tight with money though we’ve already acknoweleged.
James Shields has a proven track record. The last 4 years his ERA+ was 124. For Porcello, it was right at his career line at 97
Don’t forget Porcello moved from Comerica (pitcher friendly) to Fenway (hitter friendly) whereas Shields went from a neutral park to a much more friendly pitcher park and league.
Shields certainly has been banged around. I can’t believe he’s already allowed 15 HR, and his ERA is a respectable 3.75 which makes it more bizarre. I’m too lazy to look but I have to assume most of those HR were solo HR.
I have the red sox making a package for maybe cueto and chapman not hamels, I have hamels going to the dodgers
A spot start? Why not let him take a few lumps for the future to get the butterflies out of his stomach.
Wasn’t B. Johnson ahead of him, or does he have less options?
Neither have made a ML start yet. Johnson isn’t as highly touted.
He isn’t on the 40 man roster.
Another flop coming !
Phillies fans are a sad sort.
Man….. did he ever flop.
The staff is a disaster and the bullpen is not much better. I fear the season is already lost.
They’re not out of it in their division yet, which is why I’m hoping they start making some moves, and soon. I’d be fine with Boston throwing Swihart and Kelly and some lesser prospects for Hamels. They problem is, they need a solid #2 guy to go along with an ace, and they don’t have one so they’d have to go after one of those as well, which isn’t likely. Hopefully E-Rod and Johnson pan out and they’ve got their solid middle rotation guys already in the minors.
Why trade Swihart for Hamels when you can just get Harang? This year should not be the priority.
Because you get Hamels for a few years, and still in his prime. Getting Hamels this year makes it easier for them to try and get a solid #2 next year and mount a much better effort at winning their division. Hamels won’t be the be all end all to fixing this year, but it’ll got a long way to giving them good stable pitching in the years to come. That and I’m not sure they’ll pay the money that next years free agent pitchers are going to be asking as they didn’t mount a very convincing effort with this years offerings.
Hes 31…prime has just about left the building. I wouldnt give them what they want for Hamels.
If this year is not the priority why even bother with Harang?
What I mean is, you shouldn’t give up a great prospect for a guy who’ll be a bit better than Harang for the rest of the season
Excited to see him. The Rockies could have had him last year if they gave up Jorge De La Ros, but owner Dock Monfort. Apparently, he thinks his team is the ’98 Yankees.
One game and in the Boston Red Sox fans mind he’s a HOF’er. Wait for 25 Starts, and Major League Hitters will adjust and he’s pan out to be 4.50 ERA Pitcher
What is with the constant and incoherent Red Sox hate?
No hate for Boston , just tired of over selling !