The Red Sox designated lefty Matt Hall and righty Ryan Weber for assignment Friday afternoon, per a club announcement. Additionally, southpaw Kyle Hart cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Pawtucket.
Those three moves helped clear space for the team to select seven players to the MLB roster: catcher/infielder Connor Wong, right-hander Eduard Bazardo, third baseman Hudson Potts, righty Bryan Mata, righty Connor Seabold, outfielder Jeisson Rosario and lefty Jay Groome. All seven are now shielded from being selected in next month’s Rule 5 Draft.
It’s something of an indictment on Boston’s 2020 pitching staff that Weber, who ranked third on the team in innings pitched, was immediately cut loose. Both Hart and Hall started games for the Sox in 2020 as well. The team’s leader in innings pitched, Martin Perez, had his option bought out at season’s end.
Ownership might not have wanted to publicly acknowledge that the team punted the 2020 season, but the nature of the moves involving the team’s 2020 pitching staff speak for themselves. This club was always a long shot to contend in a deep AL East, although certainly the injury to Chris Sale and Eduardo Rodriguez’s unsettling bout with myocarditis after a Covid-19 battle didn’t help their cause. A lack of depth was always plain to see, however, and this club long looked ill-prepared to deal with inevitable injury troubles that virtually all teams encounter.
Mata, 21, has climbed as high as Double-A and has long been considered one of the organization’s better young arms. Groome probably needs some development time after injuries have slowed the former first-rounder’s career.
Several of today’s names have been added to the system via high-profile trades across the past 12 months. The 24-year-old Wong has also played in Double-A, and as one of the pieces received in the Mookie Betts/David Price blockbuster, is someone the team has high hopes for in the future. Potts is a 2016 first-rounder of the Padres who came over in the Mitch Moreland swap and has also reached the Double-A level. Rosario also landed in Boston via that swap, though he’s further from the Majors having not yet played beyond Class-A Advanced. Seabold could get a look in the rotation as soon as 2021 after coming over from the Phillies in the Brandon Workman/Heath Hembree trade.
finally
Was Pedroia added to the 40 man?
That’s a good question because in all honesty they need to just release him and say here’s 16 million for all you’ve given us.
Pedroia’s on the 40; has to be. He probably should be released, tho to reports they’re trying to get him to take a deal to open a roster spot and save ownership some money.
So far it doesn’t look like it’s working. Can’t say I blame Petey….I haven’t noticed any holes in John Henry’s shoes lately.
Petey will be off the 40 man before the start of next season ownership is just trying to not release him and will try to work something out between now and next season. I really hope they do Petey has been nothing but great for the Red Sox. Ownership needs to give Petey the grateful exit he deserves.
Yeah but he’s not done anything but cost them money to stay home. His knee is done. He needs to retire . Period. He’s being greedy plain and simple!
He took a hometown deal at the time of signing for the rest of his career. Baseball contracts are guaranteed. You can’t honestly say you’d give up 12-16 million to retire, nobody would.
Exactly. Just eat the money and have an opening day retirement party for Petey since the only 2020 flag they’ll be unveiling will have a toilet on it.
Aside from recently, I think the last two times he attempted to come back, he probably worked tirelessly, rehabbing, working out and preparing to get back in the game. Not exactly sitting home and being greedy. Dude is a gamer. He loves the sport, loves to play and leaves it all on the field. He put his body on the line more than most ball players do. Guy deserves his hometown discount $.
Players on the 60-day IL are “temporarily removed” from the 40-man roster.
So much deeper than we use to be. Unfortunately, no top prospects, but at least some developmental pieces.
I would argue that Casas is a top prospect I also really believe in Mata plus I think Duran is going to rocket up the top 100.
I would consider Noah Song as a top prospect but he still has another year on his military commitment I believe.
Jeter Downs is a top prospect but needs a few more years to improve.
First off any TRUE Red Sox fan knows the Sox DID punt on the 2020 season but just didn’t have the jam to be honest to the fans about it. Secondly the hiring of Mr Bloom signals the Sox will no longer be major players in the FA market. Bloom will continue to hunt the BBB bins as he did in 2019 offseason {how did that work out?}
Bloom did make a few deals near the deadline that may help down the road. Hopefully he doesn’t BLOW the #4- 1st rd pick in 2021 like he did with the 1st rd -2020 pick [12th overall} I am sure Henry has told Bloom to try and find a way out of both the JDM and Sale deals whatever it takes. Also find out however they can to cut ties with DP somehow. Nate Eovaldi is also on the market for any MLB team that will take that contract.
Mr Bloom is going to try and build this team through youth and removing all high priced deals he can. Hopefully Groome and Mata pan out as they are projected. At best the Sox are a .500 team in 2021 but it will be at least 2023 before are true contenders again.
Yeah lmao because that’s what the Dodgers told Andrew Friedman.. tighten our purse strings lmao.. they absolutely punted 2020 but they absolutely will be on any free agent they feel will help them win.
The 2020 season was a punt, but yes I agree the Red Sox will spend on someone(s) who makes sense and no Sandoval, Hanley Ramirez, Carl Crawfords.
The seven prospects were well deserving:
Potts, Seabold, Wong, and Mata all looked really good in the Simcity Pawtucket games this summer (available online). Rosario and Groome looked good, but will take longer to be ready for the mlb. Bazardo was not a surprise to be added as I thought he would be last year.
Weber was a surprise DFA. He pitched well after his three horrible starts at the beginning of the season and was one of the few relief pitchers that threw multiple innings. I would not be surprised if Weber resigns a minor league deal with the Red Sox.
No major complaints with Bloom so far but would have liked to keep Lakins, Tapia and Weber around. All three have shown flashes and had options.
Bosox – agreed, I would rather have Weber, Lakins, and Tapia than Springs and Stock…..
Weber does not have the velocity, but has been effective enough to have a 4.50 era over 121 innings in 2019 and 2020, and whip of 1.35 in 2020.
Springs – 7.08 era – whip 1.82
Brice 5.95 era – whip 1.53
Brewer 5.61 era – whip 1.75
Walden 9.45 era – whip 2.40
Stock 4.74 era – whip 1.95
….all five are still on the 40-man….at least until free agents are signed and room needs to be made.
Maybe Weber can clear waivers easier now with the massive dump of players than later when players are waived piece meal.
i don’t know why they gave up on Lakins so fast
Some good churn of players here……more to come as Bloom does housecleaning.
Once the RedSox have a new good MLB core, Bloom will do the bigtime free agent thing again.
Elite Gms can do this reset in 2-3 years. With poor GMs it takes 5 yrs+
Jim – some GMs do reset after reset, never get UP to .500 until they are eventually fired…
I feel for fans of teams that are perpetually bad and never come close to the playoffs let alone WS.
The fact that this report got all of 19 comments is the perfect description of what a disaster 2020 was for the Sox. Shuffle around 9 players, nobody seemed to care.
Any surprise the NESN ratings were down an MLB-worst 66% last summer? More fans were watching Mike the Pillow Guy.
They’d better right the ship fairly quickly.