The Red Sox announced Monday that they’ve designated lefty Richard Bleier for assignment and selected the contract of veteran righty Dinelson Lamet from Triple-A Worcester.
Bleier, 36, came to the Sox in the offseason trade that sent righty Matt Barnes and cash to Miami. It was a change-of-scenery swap for the two veteran relievers that hasn’t proved particularly fruitful for either side. Bleier has missed time with a shoulder issue and been tagged for a 5.28 ERA in 30 1/3 frames with the Red Sox when healthy. Barnes posted a comparable 5.48 ERA in 21 1/3 innings before undergoing season-ending surgery to repair a hip impingement.
Prior to his struggles in Boston, Bleier had a history of strong ERAs despite one of the league’s lowest strikeout rates. He’s still sporting a career 3.27 ERA in his careeran despite just a 13.6% strikeout rate, thanks largely to a pristine 3.9% walk rate, a huge 60.9% ground-ball rate and a knack for avoiding hard contact. However, he’s seen his results gradually worsen each since opening his big league career with a trio of sub-2.00 ERAs from 2016-18.
Bleier is earning $3.5MM this season, with about $1MM of that sum yet to be paid out. He’s also guaranteed the $250K buyout on a $3.75MM option for the 2024 season. Given his poor results, shoulder issues and that remaining salary, he’s all but certain to pass through waivers unclaimed. If he does so, he has enough service time to reject an outright assignment while retaining the remainder of his salary. Because of that, Bleier appears destined for the open market, at which point any team could sign him and owe the lefty only the prorated league minimum for any time spent on the big league roster. That sum would be subtracted from the roughly $1.25MM the Red Sox still owe him (including that option buyout).
In Lamet, the Sox will turn to another change-of-scenery hopeful. The former Padres strikeout machine has seen his stock dwindle in recent seasons. Lamet was a legitimate Cy Young contender during the shortened 2020 season, but injuries have been a major issue for the 31-year-old righty in the seasons since. Lamet has encountered a biceps strain, a UCL sprain, forearm inflammation and a hip injury that required a “cleanup” procedure in the years since that scintillating 2020 effort (wherein he posted a 2.09 ERA and 34.8% strikeout rate in a dozen starts).
Since that 2020 season drew to a close, Lamet has pitched to a collective 6.69 ERA in 105 innings between the Padres and Rockies. His 27% strikeout rate remains well above the league average, but Lamet has also walked a bloated 12.8% of his opponents. His 95.4 mph average fastball, while still impressive, has dropped noticeably from its 97 mph peak during that brilliant 2020 season.
Lamet signed a minor league deal with Boston earlier this summer, and since joining their top affiliate in Worcester he’s turned in a 3.72 ERA with a pedestrian 20% strikeout rate and a solid 8.8% walk rate that could be considered encouraging, given his longstanding command issues. The Sox figure to use him as a reliever, and it’ll likely be a short stay with the organization regardless of his results. If Lamet continues to struggle as he has since 2021, the Sox will presumably move on before long. And if he rights the ship, he’ll have enough service time at season’s end to reach free agency. There’s certainly a scenario where Lamet pitches well and re-signs in Boston, but there are quite a few hurdles for the big righty to clear before that’ll be a legitimate consideration.
Why did this move take so long? We’ve needed some depth for several weeks, and Lamet can provide that
He’s nominally better than throwing a position player back on the mound, but, not by much.
Lamet has been pitching well at AAA since Boston acquired him. He probably can’t be worse than Bleier and he may be better.
GASox – Any time you want to get a laugh, go back to the comments section under articles when Bloom acquires these rejects like Bleier. It’s absolutely hilarious how the Bloom suckups fawn all over these GIGO acquisitions. Even when Bleier was on the IL all we heard from them was “Sox will be much better when he returns”.
But when the player inevitably gets let go a short time later? Crickets from the suckups, other than praising the latest acquisition who replaced them.
They are either on the payroll, or a cult. LOL!!
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again….the Bloom “believers” are a cult. You know they’ve all drank the kool-aid right?
I think “Bloom believers” are basically optimistic and “Bloom haters” are basically pessimistic.
Then there are always those that can’t fathom getting angry about baseball
Bloom is an awful GM or whatever title he has. He picks up throwaway players or one year rentals. Story was damaged goods and Bloom should have been fired for that move and letting Boggaerts hit free agency when he clearly wanted to stay. He does nothing at the trade deadline but pick up Urias with his solid 145 batting average. His offseason is always uneventful and he comes up a day late and a dollar short. I firmly believe that another last place finish this year will get him fired.
syco – I assume you are a Sox fan?
If so, are you saying you didn’t get angry about the events involving (take your pick) Buckner, Bucky, Boone/Grady?
Emotions are a big part of being a big fan, especially in Boston.
Alright, that’s pushing it a bit far. This is why I block people like Fever Pitch Guy. Calls out a bunch of fans and takes no responsibility for his actions.
If you really think they’re wrong, fine. Don’t be jerks and call them out for Bloom sucking. They can do what they want and make their own image for themselves, they don’t need people to bully them.
OR – Bloom believers are gullible and Bloom haters are simply realists?
Believing after 4 bad years is illogical like faith. We see something isn’t true but we hope something will change and make it true because we have faith..
Hating is often just pointing out mistakes in a very vocal manner. When a deadline goes by and all the competition gets something to help them and Boston doesn’t, it’s easy to point out the mistake loudly.
Doom – Did you just bully Fever Pitch Guy or do you get a pass?
If he has passion for the game is it wrong to ask why someone else doesn’t?
He didn’t tell the writer he had to be like him. He asked why he wasn’t which is a legitimate question. If the game isn’t worth getting worked up about why spend your day on a website discussing it? That makes no sense to passionate fans but it’s his choice to make and it’s Fevers choice to question it.
You did exactly what you accused Fever of doing. You aren’t the response police nor the attitude police nor the content police. Like Fever you are just here to talk baseball not about others whose comments you don’t agree with. The difference is Fever asked why someone didn’t feel passion and you condemned another writer’s comments.
Do you see yourself as the more responsible writer for doing so? I don’t. I say write about baseball not about others that’s why to end this discussion I’m going to make my baseball comment.
Players and contributors on this site all display different emotions when challenged. The excitable Verdugo type or the calm and collected Greg Maddux type are both acceptable both in baseball and in writing comments.
Play ball!!
It’s a long story, but say what you want to say. I’m not sure how I accused him of something I said, but laughing at people’s expense because their opinions are disagreeable and wrong is not something to be proud of or encourage. I find that to be wrong, accusatory, and bullying. Not sure how I gave the same indication, but you can enlighten me. I’ll wait for it.
I never said anything about Fever condemning passion or whatever, so check your sources. But you don’t know the whole story..
And you’re right, anyone is accepted, but him saying “Bloom suckups” and laughing at their expense doesn’t really imply that. He’ll argue until the days done that it’s my fault, but whatever.
Thanks for explaining that to me.
careful. He might change his screen name again if you push KD17/pulledabloom/zerochill/crashnburn/acell11 too hard. Or he’ll be foolish enough to respond to his own post and not realize when he changes his name it changes the previous posts…
He’s so transparent that even a person who english isn’t even their first language could tell it was KD17 again.
It’s not even KD17, it’s Fever Pitch Guy, but they are basically one and the same when it comes to delivery of topics…
If bogaerts wanted stay he would still be here…
Hard to type with one hand on the keyboard and the other hand holding DD’s picture.
Acel – I don’t see anything posted by a “Doom”, which means he’s probably one of the few that I have muted. But thank you for having my back, I appreciate it.
syco – No problem, any time.
FPG: there are two acels now thanks to KD17’s weird behavior with changing screen names so you might have to add numbers now.
Torn: lots of those types here.
If you’re banking the rest of the season on Lamet, good luck then.
“”Why did this move take so long? We’ve needed some depth for several weeks, and Lamet can provide that””
Bloom isn’t exactly the sharpest tool in the shed.
Who?
Oh, he’s only been around since 2016 and has pitched in 335 games.
No one a casual would have heard of.
Hmm. 33 earned runs in 25 innings. Was he hurt?
Anyway, if he is just an innings eater in blow games… ok
Hurt or placed on DL for awhile as a way to get rid of him without dfa’ing him earlier and not look like a total waste of his 3.5m salry, which it has been all year. Supposedly a LH specialist, but couldn’t, or had issues getting anyone out.
Example is they sent down Walters earlier over him, who was capable of going multiple innings and in his short time managed to do better, but they kept the more useless (and guaranteed money) Bleier instead.
John – It wouldn’t be so bad if these rejects that Bloom keeps acquiring were pitching ONLY in lopsided games. Problem is, they are CAUSING the games to be lopsided.
My God, how much worse can these rejects be? The reject pitchers are getting crushed, absolutely crushed. Not just against a Toronto lineup without Bichette and Guerrero, but now against a KC lineup that is one of the worst in MLB.
It’s gotten so bad the radio guys spent literally 45 minutes discussing all the US presidents. I swear it felt like a scene out of the movie Major League.
When can we designate Bloom for assignment?
Not soon enough. Someone wake Henry as his franchise’s value gets more and more depriciated with lower attendance and ratings. Sox fans aren’t into year after year mediocrity.
Box – For tonight’s game the Sox were selling packages of 4 tickets with 4 hot dogs and 4 drinks for a total of just $99.
They’ve become the Rays alright …. but not in the way they wanted.
Fever – It’s more expensive to go to a Rangers game than a Red Sox game!! I have the comparable tickets to prove it.
Of course it helps that Texas has a great product and Boston has one the worst products I’ve seen in decades. Maybe pre-1967!!
With their current stable of good young pitchers (a rarity in Boston) a new GM could turn this nightmare around quickly except for the albatross deal with Devers. The only way they dump his salary is if he wins a MVP so they can deal him for prospects to a big market team and that’s not going to happen. Bloom will haunt this team for at least half a decade with the bad Devers deal.
With their current stable of good young pitchers
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The Rangers pitchers are among the oldest baseball, 26th oldest to be precise.
I imagine Lamet is being called up to start. I would rather they called up Barraclough has he’s pitched lights out at Worcester so far
Might still see him in a few days. I expect a revolving door of call-ups. Sox pen is tired
DBH – Martin has thrown 9 pitches or less 3 times in his 5 appearances since July 25th (not including tonight).
That’s just 50 pitches in 13 days.
Recently Jansen was made unavailable by Cora after throwing literally one pitch the day before. One stinkin’ pitch.
Cora’s bullpen usage makes it difficult for me to feel sorry for the pen.
THANK YOU and it is about time.
Looks like, after the deadline, this Red Sox team quit. They were like we got no help while playing hard and underachieving. So they giving Bloom the middle finger. I think Bloom is out after this season.
This is as much on the players as far as how they’re losing. When they lost the series to Oakland that was it for me. You can’t trade the future for this team. They should have traded Duvall for some middling pitching help. Anything.
100% agreed. That Oakland series was bad. You can’t lose to tems like that, or at least they need to rebound right away. This team is too streaky, never consistent.
Duvall was wanted by other teams. He should have been traded, but maybe the return wasn’t good?
I don’t get why they didn’t get rid of Duval, This team isn’t winning anything. Getting a mid-level prospect would have been fine.
If that’s true then explain a team like Seattle to me where the FO there traded away useful players and basically gave up on the season and they won 5 straight games afterward. Are they just a lot more mentally resilient than the Sox players?
basically gave up on the season and they won 5 straight games afterward.
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One has nothing to do with the other, no matter what the voodoo believers think. Miami & LAA traded for guys and have combined for 1-11 this month. MN, Seattle, and Washington collectively lost talent, and are 14-3 this month. One week samples are meaningless.
King – Those 5 straight wins were against the Red Sox and Angels, not exactly difficult to do. The Angels have been in a tailspin from their injuries to Trout and Ohtani.
That’s a crock. Both teams Seattle beat are trying to stay in the WC race. And in the case of the Angels they went all in at the deadline with multiple moves trying to bolster the team and still played flat. As someone else pointed out looking at any one week sample of games is going to be totally random. Tying how a team reacted to the trade deadline to how they play the following week is nonsense.
Fever Pitch Guy
The Angels have been in a tailspin from their injuries to Trout and Ohtani.
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Ohtani hasn’t missed a game during their current losing streak.
I doubt anyone is quitting with Jason Varitek in the dugout.
@ suit, 100% agree! I saw the clip of Sales last outburst in the dugout. Tek was standing in front of him facing the field. You could see the annoyance on Teks face.
Gotta give The Captain his due, though. He knows it isn’t his team, so he didn’t say anything. Not even a look. But you could see that Tek wanted go at him like he was ARod.
Which outburst was that?
Google chris Sale dugout melt down. Was a Sox vs o’s game
Chris Sale’s meltdown and outbursts in 2018 helped us win that series, so I’ll take his frustration as needed.
He’s a Buck Showalter guy, so I could see the Mets giving him a shot. He can’t be any worse than Bickford
Why does Llovera still have a roster spot?
You actually want to know that? Another favorite of Cora.
I don’t think that is true. We just got this guy. Bloom pulled the trigger. Highly doubt it’s Cora.
It is ironic, however, that injuries aside, our bullpen looks worse now than it did to start the season. Kudos to whoever got these clowns out of nowhere to fill in innings.
@At D&B.
Pen is spent. Expect half of these guys to be on the IL next year with the innings they are hauling with ‘pen games’ 2 out 5 games, and another 4 innings there other 3. Week in, week out, bro
@DBH good point, why aren’t we using our starters in Worcester?
I would guess 4 reasons. They will be up soon enough with roster expansion, Why burn options, wooster is only a game out of 1st, and they have the Ace of the organization to learn from face to face. Bosox are probably done.
Like I said. I would have sold and brought up the mlb ready prospects. But we are where we are, I guessvlol
Because they Llove him.
As a placeholder until Sale, Whitlock and Houck are back.
Hopefully we will not lament this move.
“Lamet has also walked a bloated 12.8% of his opponents.”
Bloated opponents? So he’s walked Vogelbach, Miggie, Alejandro Kirk, and Rowdy Tellez, among others.
Relief pitchers go in and of Boston faster than lightspeed. What is going on? (Yeah, that is rhetorical)
Ryan Brasier this season:
With the Red Sox: 21 IP, 7.29 ERA
With the Dodgers: 20 IP, 1.35 ERA
See you in LA Richard Bleier
Brasier has been a little better in LA.
Boston:
SO9: 7.7
BB9: 3.9
FIP: 4.36
LA:
SO9: 6.8
BB9: 3.2
FIP: 3.46
He reduced his hardhit% from 53.8% to 28.8%. He also has gone from a career high BAbip to a career low BAbip (.344 to .157).
I found all the people flipping out about Brasier amusing. He isn’t great, but he;s a MIL pitcher.
His career WHIP is 1.22, just because he was getting rocked didn;t mean that would continue. None of the guys signed since he was waived are better than he is.
syco – I agree with you there, the Red Sox are clueless when it comes to helping improve their pitchers.
Lets be fair. Brasier was a rally waiting to happen. He does better in LA due to the park and the night air. He needs to pitch in that environment to have greater success. He’s Matt Barnes II. An inconsistent pitcher who you couldn’t count on in the clutch but at times looked great. A right handed version of E-ROD. Great stuff but couldn’t deliver. Nobody should miss any of those guys – Brasier, Barnes or E-Rod. Their current starting staff and relief is better than all three pitchers. Glad they are gone. Wish them luck elsewhere but glad to not sit on the edge of my chair waiting for the next bad thing to happen.
All in – agreed! It is also easier to pitch when you do not have a left field wall 315 feet from home plate!
Boom, they’re out of last place. Good night.
Gotta love 10 straight games versus bad opponents. Could make them look good and get everyone’s hopes up so they can be dashed by the 13 games vs HOU, NYY and LAD.
It’s not healthy to ride the roller coaster of emotions with this team. Unlike many of the teams of the past 20 years this team doesn’t have star players to fall back on when times are bad. They only have Devers now. The days of the six pillars of greatness are gone. No Mookie, No Benny, No Bogey, No JD and for now No Sale just Devers.
The good news is that a new GM could fix this team by 2024. The bad news is Bloom could stay and the agony will extend yet another year into the future.
I still think they have a pretty good core of six, but the bottom three are too mediocre. Story might help there. And Wong is decent enough, you don’t need a great hitter, but you need a really good catcher. They are a little lefty heavy as well.
Pitching is all about health, as it is for every team now. A bit ridiculous, but that’s the premium on velocity. I really believe that robot strike zones would help put the premium back on location, where it should be, but that’s not a likely situation any time soon.
The strike has become just silly, even the great Yankees are feeling the sting of the angry dumpire. The Doctor Boonedoggle Dance will soon rival his legendary medical analysis of boo-boos. Good to see him bust a gasket.
My measure of success is simple enough, get ahead of the Yankees. Sure, it’s temporary for now, but reinforcements are coming. There’s still hope, just not a whole lot of it right now.
I wonder what screen name you’ll choose to use then to express said agony….
If Bloom isn’t fired at the end of the season then Henry should sell the team, because keeping Bloom tells me he doesn’t care.
You should drop him an email and let him know.
Why do they even have Lament on the roster? He comes in with an 11.71 ERA. And tonight, amazingly, he was worse than that! 27 innings, 42 hits & 23 walks! LOL! Thank you, Chaim!