The Red Sox have claimed righty Andrew Triggs off waivers from the Giants and designated southpaw Stephen Gonsalves for assignment in order to open a spot on the 40-man roster, per a team announcement. Triggs has been optioned to their alternate training site.
Back in 2016-17, the Athletics looked as though they might’ve unearthed a useful starter in Triggs after claiming him from the Orioles. He gave the A’s 121 1/3 frames of 4.29 ERA ball but with more encouraging secondary numbers: 3.88 FIP, 3.96 xFIP and SIERA, 7.8 K/9, 2.4 BB/9, 50.3 percent grounder rate. It wasn’t a world-beating performance, but Triggs looked like a capable fourth starter — a mighty fine outcome for a simple waiver claim.
Injuries, however, have spoiled those hopes. Triggs had surgery to repair the labrum in his left hip in 2017, cutting his season short, and 14 months later he underwent thoracic outlet surgery. He was bothered by nerve irritation for months leading up to that second procedure, and Triggs has totaled just 41 2/3 innings in the Majors since the end of that ’17 season (including one-third of an inning with the Giants in 2020).
The Red Sox are in dire need of serviceable options on the pitching staff, though, and Triggs’ background is clearly of some interest to chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom and his staff. The right-hander won’t join the big league staff just yet, but he could be an option at virtually any time given the ragged state of the Red Sox’ Major League staff.
Gonsalves, 26, could have a brief stay in the Red Sox organization. Boston claimed him earlier this month after the Mets designated him for assignment. The former fourth-round pick at one point a top-100 prospect as he rose through the ranks with the Twins, but Gonsalves has battled some arm troubles in recent years and struggled at the MLB level in very limited opportunities. The Sox likely hope to be able to sneak him through waivers and keep him in the player pool as a depth piece, but another club could show some interest in a waiver claim of its own.
geez, SOMEBODY give Gonsalves a chance
^^
Who did they claim? Who did they designate? Boy has this team’s roster changed since winning in 18.
Triggs didn’t get another chance on the Giants after being blasted in his first outing. Hope he finds a taker and another shot.
To be more specific, he didn’t get blasted, he simply could not throw a strike … in the 1 outing, he faced 4 batters, walked 3 of them (all three ended up scoring) and worse of all, he didn’t look like he could throw a strike if his life depended on it. Some of the worst mechanics I’ve seen from an MLB pitcher.
He’ll have a chance in Boston since no one else can get anyone out!
(Any team – DFA’s a pitcher): “Forward this to Chaim Bloom!”
They probably would’ve gotten more out of Gonsalves than they will with Triggs.
Gonsalves would thrive with the Reds and Driveline
Do you say Reds and Driveline because Bauer is on the Reds?
because they have that driveline dude (Boddy or something) on their staff now
Why the hell are the Red Sox wasting a roster space on a 31year old reliever who hasn’t done a thing in years? The Red Sox need to rebuild their team and someone like Gonsalves makes a ton more sense than Triggs. I was happy when Boston signed Chaim Bloom but I’m starting to have some serious questions about his strategy (if there even is one). Hopefully they do something big at the trade deadline (as sellers) and start shaping the roster for next year. They need 6-8 new pitchers for next season at the least.
Are the Red Sox tanking for #1 pick? That lineup too good for them to lose this much. They should at least beat up on the bad teams. There left side of the infield best in baseball.
The problem is bloom gutted the pitching staff and has done nothing to fix it.
It’s great to score 8 runs in a game… except when you give up 16.
no, they arent. they’re just trying get under the cap. there was no intention for the staff to be this bad, but Sale needed TJS and it went downhill from there.
Agreed Darkside. Bloom was retained with the goal of getting under the threshold and once Sale had surgery, he couldn’t be traded and Price had to go with or without Mookie. They got good talent back but by the time Price opted out, there was limited options on trying to improve the staff. If this had been a full season, more moves would likely have been made but why risk more on 2020 which will never be considered a normal year. Of course I want to win but imagine next year. I hope whoever claims the trophy goes low key when unveiling their championship flag in memory of those we’ve lost during the pandemic. Just my take.
Chaim Bloom has been a total disaster since he got here but you can blame John Henry because Bloom is just following his orders. He is just lucky there are no fans at the games.
Actually the lack of fans might working in Bloom’s favor. Assuming the tax is reset, the next two seasons will be the true test as to the success of his regime.
Ownership has been involved since the Epstein days.
I feel the same way about Bloom. No strategy whatsoever! He picks up Other team’s garbage and throwaways. He looked so bad on the Betts trade that dragged on for a time period. He picked up no pitching in that deal. It just looks like the purpose is to bring payroll down and pick up projects
The Betts/Price trade returned solid talent. Who was giving more? Give him the same three to four years that BS and DD got and then compare.
Twins should give him another chance and see what he can do in the bullpen.
Sohcahtoa.
At least the Red Sox have won two WS in the last 10 years. The Red Sox went all in a few years ago getting Sale and other players. It depleted the farm and now paying the price. Now they should trade Martinez, Bradley, Moreland, basically anyone and everyone except Boegarts, Devers, Beningendi and Verdugo.
No problem with trading benny, EXCEPT his value almost couldn’t be lower. Aside from that one concern, he can stay or go if someone would overpay relative to recent performance
Agreed. I was posting to trade Benny last fall. I though would go in an opposite direction if JDM understands there may never be a better market for him. It’s a huge risk for teams as well as him and in exchange for giving up his options, guarantee him an extra year at the same terms and then give the team an option year, also at the same money. I believe he just needs to adjust to the new rules and will rebound big time next year and I think he was the real MVP of 18. His professionalism became contagious.
Man in sun whyhayzee
Hipparchus of Nicaea?
C’mon man, tan gent
Not sure how Bloom is “gutting” the pitching. He traded Price to offload payroll EdRod caught COVID and Sale had TJ surgery — not Bloom’s fault. Owners wanted to pare payroll to get under the tax and wasn’t able to make moves like signing Rich freakin Hill until that goal was reached.
I get that the season is a flop, but fighting about Gonsalvez vs Triggs is splitting hairs.
DD extensions to Sale, Eovaldi, and Pearce forced some bad decisions. I guess it’s palatable given 2018 happened. But this team is still paying Dustin Pedroia for crissakes. I welcome Bloom’s fiscal approach and part of that relies on a few reclamations and diamonds in the rough.
Don’t forget they’re also paying $5mm to pablo sandoval this year. Although I’m not sure that counts towards the lux tax
Pearce was not big money. Could have been better spent in hindsight but they paid him the same as Moreland. The mistakes in my view were overpaying for Eovaldi and extending Sale given how he ended 18. That said, overall DD did his job and ownership has to take overall responsibility for the tax mess they knew was coming for over two years (before executing those new deals). Also, posters please stop mentioning Pedie’s contract. He took less average for more years and had a freak on the field injury. Had he signed for market value, who knows if ownership would have simply spent more to assemble the 18 roster?
We’re Back Baby ! Another great pickup for Bloom!
This is worse than the Dan Duquette Days !
Waiting for Chaim Bloom’s answer to Duquette’s can’t miss CF stud Dwayne Hosey. Maybe we’ll see that next year after they let JBJ go and tell us that Duran is not ready for the majors.
Even if that’s the case, what will JBJ get in this climate? He could always decide to sign for one year and try again next after 21. No team is paying big money to a defense first player who is getting older.
I guess one of my points is the age old paying for past performance vs future output. Will always love what Pearce, JBJ, Pedey, Sale and Eovaldi did for the Sox. I don’t hate on them — none should ever need to pay for a beer again in Boston. But DD *and* the front office knew what the post 2018 extensions meant for longer term deals for Betts, Xander, and EdRod. Now, Bloom’s actions today will create flexibility to attempt extending Devers and maybe Verdugo later. We can call Bloom Dan Duquette or call out his waiver pick ups, but getting a Rich Hill (6 teams over 10 seasons, 3.6 WAR before returning to BOS, 10.8 WAR since) or Charlie Morton (3 teams over 9 seasons, -0.7 WAR before HOU, 10.5 WAR since) is worth the waiver claims.
But we should all (re)learn the lesson about Eovaldi, Sale and Pearce and rewarding past performance.
Pearce was just one season and no one expected him to suddenly be forced to retire. Overpayment was in my view about $3m but to continue chemistry, they matched the then Moreland 2019 contract. Not a big deal. Ownership needs to accept overall responsibility in approving deals. A team like the Red Sox likely has a committee meeting before agreeing on buying TP for the locker room. When you micromanage, acknowledging the bad goes with the territory.