The Red Sox claimed reliever Taylor Buchholz off waivers from the Blue Jays, the team announced today. Buchholz had been designated for assignment by the Rockies in September and claimed by Toronto.
Buchholz, 29, tossed 21 1/3 innings in the minors this year and another 12 in the bigs. He had Tommy John surgery in June of '09 after an excellent '08 season for Colorado. He earned $1.055MM in each of the last two seasons and will be arbitration eligible again this winter. The Red Sox will have the opportunity to retain Buchholz for the 2012 season if he pitches well next year.
The claim caused the Blue Jays to fall behind the Athletics for the honor of having the most arbitration eligible players – the A's lead with 11 after claiming Edwin Encarnacion.