The Red Sox acquired reliever Hansel Robles from the Twins, tweets ESPN’s Jeff Passan. The Twins are including $500k in the deal, per Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com (via Twitter). That should cover much of the remaining money owed to the right-hander, who signed a one-year, $2MM deal with the Twins this past winter. In exchange, the Twins will receive RHP Alex Scherff, the teams announced.
Robles fills a need for Boston as a hard-throwing righty in the pen. He will slot in somewhere behind setup man Adam Ottavino and closer Matt Barnes in the pecking order – though it’s worth noting that bullpen usage is hardly ever that clean, and Robles should no doubt expect some high-leverage work in the heart of the AL East playoff race.
Robles spent three and a half years with the Mets and two and a half years with the Angels before joining the Twins this offseason. He closed for a short time in LA, notching 23 saves in 2019 while tossing 7 2/3 innings and marking a stellar 2.48 ERA/2.88 FIP. He looked like a borderline elite bullpen arm at that point, but he hasn’t matched those run prevention numbers in the two seasons since.
The overall numbers for Robles this season aren’t all that confidence-inspiring: 45 appearances covering 44 innings with a 4.91 ERA/4.82 FIP worth -0.7 rWAR. He does have 10 saves as he stepped up to cover some high-leverage situations throughout the year. He’s struggled of late, however, with an 11.12 ERA in his last 12 appearances dating back to late June. He doesn’t have to be “the guy” in Boston, however, where he’ll make up just one part of manager Alex Cora’s final line of defense to close out games.
For the Twins, they are adding an intriguing bullpen arm to their system. The 23-year-old Scherff has split this year between High-A and Double-A, racking up exceptional strikeout numbers. Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs notes that his fastball is “is 92-96 with a good changeup”.
Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com was the first to note that Scherff was the return.
Should have gone after Maeda. As a Red Sox fan, sad to say this is not a World Series caliber team based on what other teams have done, especially the dodgers
Relax ked
Agree, then again, no one REALLY expected a WS win fir the Red Sox. If they do, it would just have to be one of those magical years. The rotation is just so bad, it is unbelievable they are even in this position.
Reminds me of the comments after the Sox “settled” for Pearce, Evoaldi , and Kinsler in 2018.. For my part let’s see them play some games. And do not forget they still could be a lot better with Houck, Sale and Durran in Sept.
I don’t disagree. Just hard to see them competing with the dodgers and that pitching staff
You’re getting Sale. Other than Scherzer that’s the best deadline upgrade you can make.
There’s more to a ws winner than an amazing collection of big name pitchers. Just ask the 2013 Tigers…
Agreed but the Dodgers have the bats to go with those pitchers.
Maeda would have cost a helluva lot more. He’s still under contract for two more years, and the Twins aren’t going into full-on rebuilding just yet
Chaim majorly blew this deadline. Plain and simple.
I wouldn’t say blew it. I would say consciously decided that he didn’t want to give up prospects when we still only have a middle of the pack farm. He’s playing the long game, which is a little disappointing, but not shocking.
Barrick = Great imagination!! This guy Bloom must be a genius!!! He’s not playing any game!!! He is clueless.
Bloom the chess master is figuring out which direction the pieces move while the rest of the GMs understand the actual game being played is checkers and they just screamed “King Me” a half dozen times!! This performance alone should get him fired but add to it the mishandling of Mookie, Benny and others and the UTILITY PLAYER merry-go-round and the man needs to go. He just further embarrassed all the Red Sox fans with his inability to make things happen in a town that just spent the last 20 years watching things happen.
On first place. He must be doing something right when there is two months left in the season and the team is looking down at the competition. So far, so good.
KD – even terminally cancer patients aren’t as sour as you! Who pi$$ed in your corn flakes old fart.
You have an opportunity here. You might not ever get here again. You go for it. Every team improved except us. The Yankees did not give that much up for Rizzo.
Yeah he’s trying on developing prospects and betting that guys like Downs, Casas, Seabold, Duran, and eventually Blaze Jordan are gonna come up here and be IMPACT players. Prospects are exactly that, prospects. I’d much rather trade a few for Proven veterans with postseason success instead of “playing the long game” and betting that all of these kids can come up and figure it out. Chavis once upon a time was one of those guys. A highly touted PROSPECT. Look how well that turned out, they pulled him up to shut us up and kept yo-yo-ing him back and forth to Triple A. Now he’s a pirate. Who’s the last prospect to come up and make an impact? Probably Rafy Devers. You can’t bet on so many prospects to come up to the big club and fill needs. That’s not realistic at all
No, he believes that amongst the crew he has, some will be major leaguers and he hopes a couple will be break out stars. I was mad when ownership canned DD who did exactly what they wanted but Bloom so far has been 20 times better than most of the posters herein let on.
A few more that were touted prospects, Nava, Ellsbury, Swihart. See where I’m getting at here? And yes Jacoby belongs in that category Bc he had what 2-3 good seasons then flamed out once he got payed.
When you say stuff like Daniel Nava was a touted prospect you lose any integrity you had. That man was literally undrafted and signed from an indy ball team.
My bad, exclude nava and all my other examples are more than solid
Agreed. The best $1.00 ever invested in a Red Sox uniform.
Prospects are prospects and there are no guarantees with them.
My EXACT POINT!!!
You do remember this was pegged as a 4th place team to start the season… he’s not going to blow the farm for this year. Plus we have Sale and Houck as reinforcements. I’m for the long game
It was only pegged as a 4th place team by haters and losers. This team has always had the composition for another division title. Plus, you’d think Bloom would be more willing to give up prospects from Dombrowski’s regime considering he has no connection to them
I don’t think he operates like that. It’s not about connection, it’s do they fit into our system. Clearly he thought what he had was worth holding on to. He’s not going to go Dombo on us and trade just cuz
Opening day starter has a 5.25 ERA, Ace on the IL, Garret Richards was the major off season free agent signing. This team never should have been in first place. They are playing over their heads which is great to see. That doesn’t make realists haters and losers.
With the bats this team has, it’s more fair to say last year they bit the big one. Expected fourth because others also have talent. This team reminds me of 13 when Boston stoke a championship It can happen again
jworth307 = Yeah, I’ve been there and done that. The long game was 48 years and I don’t have the time for another long game. Fire him today.
Fact is, we likely don’t have what it takes to go all the way even if we blow up the farm system and add Scherzer/Berrios or a big bat. We do however have a strong core and we’re about a year ahead of schedule. I’m would prefer they make the roster sustainable for success year in and year out rather than go broke on a year when it’s likely not ours to win.
Side note of some relation to the subject: happy to see the Yankees blow their already thin farm system on a year where they’re clearly out of it.
Out of control KD
You need a 1st baseman. You got a 1st baseman. You needed a reliever. You got a reliever. If you want Bloom to do stupid Dombrowski style buys every deadline you are going to be a sad, and dumb, fan.
What 1st baseman?
who won the world series?
oldmansteve – If ignorance is bliss you must be very happy!! DD blows away Bloom from a knowledge of winning standpoint, an evaluation of talent standpoint and most importantly the how to do your GM job standpoint.
Bloom’s horse crap decision making isn’t building a future, he’s killing the future. Nobody wants another 86 year drought!!!
KD, do you understand ownership’s philosophy changed. Bloom is far better to employ a long term strategy than DD whom I appreciated. This team has home in 2021, 2022, 2023, etc
You are lost.
People also said he blew it when he traded Betts and by some of his FA signings.
You have no idea
Normally I would agree, but I’ve doubted Chaim all off-season and we are atop the division now. A lot of times flashy deals don’t work out… it’s happened numerous times on the Red Sox alone.
pwndroia – I agree you don’t need flashy you need effective. If one considers Dalbec a liability rather than a star of the future then one goes and gets the best available 1B no matter what team he is on nor what his name is. Flashy isn’t what you want it’s effective. The Red Sox got a bad left fielder instead.
Next, if the bullpen needs a closer because you believe Barnes will choke down the stretch like many do then you go get the best available closer instead Einstein got Robles. You don’t need a flashy closer just an effective one. The Red Sox got yet another set up man. Now they have 3 relievers who could pitch the last inning but none are true closers which means they won’t be as effective as a real proven closer.
All this goes toward Bloom’s lack of effectiveness in evaluating needs and his lack of ability to fill them. Bloom is not qualified to be a GM and proves that daily since he arrived. From blown December decisions on who to non tender, to off season brain cramps on who to trade, to in season needs and how to fill them, Bloom has failed miserably for 2 years. Thank goodness the team he inherited was so strong and thank goodness the farm system he inherited was so strong that it was able to produce Dalbec, Houck and Duran. Otherwise, the horrid decisions made so far by Bloom and ownership would have increased the likelihood Boston fans wouldn’t see another ring ceremony for decades.
It’s not too late to dump Bloom and Cora to save the franchise. Or maybe, the owners should just sell so someone who is willing to fund championship teams! Then, things could go back to the good old days when ownership was competitive and willing to spend money, the GM knew how to acquire talent and the manager knew how to manage a pitching staff, set a line-up, play the best players and not make in game mistakes. Oh yeah and didn’t cheat to win.
Sorry for my rant, old people know when things suck and often think back to when things were much better!! I miss the old ownership behavior, DD and Farrell/Tito (hope Tito’s health improves quickly). Yes, I miss the days when rings were a possibility and often a likelihood.
Just like how everyone said Chaim blew the off-season and the Mookie trade etc etc etc and how Boston would finish above the Orioles.
Wouldnt*
I was one of those originally but I see it a bit differently now.
Thank God. This puts them over the top now…
can only assume he felt like so many others. this team isn’t good enough to go all the way, so why possibly trade your best prospects for rentals. he better be damn busy this off-season
Have to agree with you
Chaim what are you doing
es incredible un team in the first place afraid to trade propect we sock
Bloom was never going to pay big prospect hauls for Scherzer or Berrios. Schwarber gives them a bat, Robles isn’t a terrible bullpen piece. Sale will be back and that is the best deadline acquisition they could make
It’s tough to say what the true cost of Scherzer is, since it was a package deal. But TO gave up a lot for Berrios.
JB – Scherzer represented a chance to not drop out of first. That’s gone now. The price for Berrios was too high so not getting him makes sense. Have you checked Down’s numbers at AAA? As I suggested, he is a AA player who needs to prove he can play at that level. Putting him at AAA and having him hit .200 continues to drop his over-inflated value. They should have given up Downs for Scherzer and they could have thrown in Wong as well just to wash the stink out of the clubhouse from the Mookie deal.
Both NYY and LAD understand the lack of effectiveness of the luxury tax. It’s not much of a deterrent to wealthy organizations. The profits made by these teams and teams like the Red Sox are so great that going over is a no brainer even at 50%. This is what the competition is doing and we have a GM from a HAVE NOT program in TB so we are behaving like a HAVE NOT.
Things like paying for Semien rather than Hernandez, Springer instead of Renfroe and Scherzer rather than Robles are just examples of a rich team spending like a poor team. If you have the profits to play at the level the Yankees and Dodgers do, why not use them for the fans rather than pocketing them and not re-investing in your product?
This deadline showed why Boston won’t win for years and I hope in the next year of two fans will stop drinking the Cool-Aid about the LONG APPROACH and start realizing that there is NO INTENT to win rings anymore, there is only intent to convince fans they are trying to win rings when they really aren’t. The ownership must have a new marketing team that specializes in deception!! They are doing a good job fooling the masses by selling the long haul approach and they have to excited as hell to see the unforeseen good year that has happened so far. It helps sell the story.
Talent is down but wins are up. That leads fan to think things are getting better when they are not. An influx of real talent needs to happen to turn around this franchise that is spiraling down when it appears to be fine because the old talent is playing at career year levels. Next year, when things go back to normal should look eerily like 2019. Throw in a few Cora mistakes and poof you have a disaster, a weaker farm system despite the many additions that were meaningless and a core MLB roster than continues to be weaker than when Bloom arrived.
Boston is in deep trouble and I don’t expect to see another ring in my lifetime.
Things like paying for Semien rather than Hernandez, Springer instead of Renfroe and Scherzer rather than Robles are just examples of a rich team spending like a poor team.
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And yet, TO is in 4th place, and the RS are in 1st place.
Springer has been hurt much of the season and Toronto basically out-bid themselves for his services. It can be argued that Semien’s numbers are inflated by the fact that he has played half of his games in spring training/minor league stadiums. Kike has been clutch in many situations for the Sox this season. Scherzer, even as a rental was not going to be had for Jeter Downs and Connor Wong. The Red Sox lack MLB or near MLB ready pitching prospects and potentially trading away Houck or Casas is honestly not worth two months of Scherzer
The funny part is that Kike is like a 10x better signing than Springer. 3.4 bWAR for Kike and 0.6 bWAR for Springer, and $150,000,000.
tha incredible in the first place and afraid to make trade tha suck
“Hansel, so hot right now. Hansel”
I’m actually happy we didn’t trade the farm for Scherzer… we got a few upgrades.
Hopefully for cash considerations. Seeing how we gave up a former #1 prospect for a pair of balls I’m sure we gave up Jeter Downs for this guy. Seems fair…..ugh
Well the two relievers we obtained are not actually anything to get excited about…. Hope this turns out better then it looks!
Great Job Bloom!!! We picked up two relievers who I could have found better guys on the street. The Yankees gave up nothing for Rizzo! How come you could not do that ? The teams all around you got better and you might never get where you are again!
I would take every reliever the Sox currently control (including just-DFA’d Brandon Workman) over either Robles or Austin Davis any day. It also feels worth mentioning that, even assuming nobody else gets hurt, you’re looking at an Eovaldi -> (lesser than usual) Sale -> …Nick Pivetta? tandem come the playoffs. That’s not enough to win so much as a division series.
Bloom’s commitment to restocking the farm is admirable, but as a first place team with one of the highest budgets in the league, trading for an injured corner outfielder and some negative-value relievers feels an awful lot like a punt. Disappointing.
Nailed it! Granted Bloom has been at the helm a short period of time, it feels like the only thing he has done is cause Red Sox fans strife.
Yup. The haters have gone from hating Bloom for creating a horrible RS team, to hating Bloom for not guaranteeing the RS a WS this year.
Red Sox upgrades- Sale over Garrett Richards. Schwarber over Dalbec. Houck and Robles over Workman and Andriese. Duran over Santana. Those strike me as pretty good upgrades.
Only thing I disagree with is Duran over Santana. I think Duran should replace Gonzalez.
Yeah, Robles is a superstar! Are you kidding me? We have three softball pitchers in Pivetta, Perez, and Richards. EROD is erratic this year. So you have maybe two good starters In Eovaldi and Sale. He picked up two sub par relievers. Now this team knows management does not care to get help for it. This is like 2019 again at the trade deadline
Think about it this way. You spent the entire off-season whining about how bad the Red Sox were. Now you get to complain about the Red Sox not winning the World Series.
The jury is out on all of the deals that Bloom entered into today. Lets wait and see what happens before being judgmental. No one can ignore the current Red Sox roster has excellent chemistry. In many respects this is more important than any single player they could recruit by trade or purchase. IMHO, Michael Chavis was becoming a chemistry problem. But lets hope he finds his stroke in Pittsburgh. MLB rosters are like a puzzle today, Every. stage of the season requires a different mix of players to earn victories. Workman and Chavis are gone and it remains to be seen who will fill their shoes. However, there are a number of choices for manager Alex Cora to work with to make a successful run towards the AL East pennant. I, for one, am anxious to see how it all works out.
Did the twins get anything back or were they just investing in bosox postseason success since they shipped him as well as cash over to them?
Eh, I don’t think Bloom wanted to mortgage the future. I think Bloom looked at the Dodger roster and the Astros roster and figured they are most likely winning the world series. Boston still needs to trim payroll so it can go after free agents in the off-season. Bloom is trying to stay competitive and concentrate on the farm system. I was confused about the Schwarber trade until I realized he’s an expiring contract. Be competitive give a good show without trading the farm, they know they are a year or two away. Unlike the Yankees who mortgaged the future for the present and 9 games back
We got a Pitcher named Alex Scherff for Robles. There I did MLBTRs job for them and reported the rest of the deal. Any Red Sox fans have any info on Scherff. I see they converted him from a starter to a reliever and he is pitching decent in AA.
He threw 72 2/3 innings in 2019…..
This team is going to drop like a rock in August. We have 4 softball LOB Pitchers on out team; Perez, Richards, Pivetta, and now EROD. The do not have enough pitching. These guys give away games in the early innings like the first. They immediately put the offense in a hole. In tonights game Perez could not have put it more in the middle of the plate for the two Tampa Bay homeruns. I still cannot believe Bloom threw millions of dollars at Richards one and Perez again after last year’s debacle.
Robles is basically being added to replace a really bad reliever so he’s a small improvement overall.
That’s about it. Minny thought enough of him to sign him, and they usually have pretty good judgement. And Workman was nothing more than cannon fodder. At worst, he is a small upgrade to our #8 RP slot. At best, he is someone that can give us a quality 5th/6th inning when we need it.