Monday, July 31, 2017

Red Sox Add Addison Reed to Bullpen

Red Sox Get: Addison Reed (1-2, 2.57 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 19 SV, 48/6 K/BB, Age 28)
Mets Get: Jamie Callahan (5-2, 3.21 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 6 SV, 56/13 K/BB at AA and AAA, Age 22)
Stephen Nogosek (4-4, 3.06 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 19 SV, 63/21 K/BB at Class A and High Class A, Age 22)
Gerson Bautista (3-2, 5.16 ERA, 1.81 WHIP, 4 SV, 53/28 K/BB at High Class A, Age 22)

The Red Sox, Yankees, and Rays are all going for it, and the AL East is going to be very fun for the rest of the season. The Yanks have already acquired Todd Frazier, David Robertson, Tommy Kahnle, and Jaime Garcia, while the Rays have added Lucas Duda, Adeiny Hechavarria, Sergio Romo, and Dan Jennings. So far, the Red Sox have only acquired infielder Eduardo Nunez, but they added star reliever Addison Reed this morning. Craig Kimbrel has been great in the ninth inning (1.24 ERA, 0.60 WHIP), but they've had trouble bridging the gap from starters to Kimbrel, with Matt Barnes (3.60 ERA, 1.18 WHIP), Fernando Abad (3.09 ERA, 1.16 WHIP), and Heath Hembree (3.54 ERA, 1.39 WHIP) being more good than great and Tyler Thornburg out for the season. Addison Reed will take over as set-up man, carrying a 2.57 ERA and a 1.12 WHIP through 48 appearances, posting an excellent 48/6 strikeout to walk ratio in 49 innings. Those six walks account for just 3% of the hitters he has faced, and one of them was intentional anyways to Nationals star Daniel Murphy. This allows every member of the Boston bullpen to shift down a leverage level, putting them into situations they fit better in. Reed is a free agent after the season, so Boston is going for it this year. For his career, the San Diego State alum is 17-20 with a 3.40 ERA, a 1.18 WHIP, and a 397/95 strikeout to walk ratio in 381 appearances.

The Mets traded two minor league pitchers for Reed in 2015, and all they got was two years of an excellent reliever and three more 22 year old right handed relievers. Neither of those original two guys (Matt Koch, Miller Diaz) is expected to make a big impact at the major league level, so it's safe to say this trade was a steal for the Mets. Now that they acquired A.J. Ramos for this year and next, Reed is fairly expendable, and they got quantity over quality for him. Instead of going for one high upside starter, they got three relievers, one of which we can expect to work out. In the likely scenario, the Mets essentially got full control of one useful reliever for two months of a great one. The most advanced player in this package is Jamie Callahan, who is already in AAA. The 6'2" righty started the season with AA Portland, but the Eastern League proved to be no match for him, as he posted a 1.38 ERA and a 0.62 WHIP over ten appearances, striking out 20 and walking none in 13 innings. Bumped to AAA Pawtucket, he hasn't been quite so overpowering, posting a 4.03 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP over 22 appearances and striking out 36 to 13 walks in 29 innings. His combination of a mid 90's fastball and a hard cutter have helped him succeed in relief, and he has the makings of being a solid 7th inning guy in the near future. At 22, he has time to adjust to AAA. Stephen Nogosek was just drafted in the sixth round out of Oregon last year, and the Sox started him off at Class A Greenville. There, he posted a 2.55 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP, striking out 45 and walking 11 in 35.1 innings. Promoted to High Class A Salem, he's been decent, posting a 4.08 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP over 13 appearances, striking out 18 and walking 10 in 17.2 innings. Like Callahan, he's a fastball/cutter guy, but he can change the speed and shape of both pitches and that should be a useful tool as he moves up the ladder. Gerson Bautista has spent the entire season at High Class A Salem, struggling to a 5.16 ERA and a 1.81 WHIP, striking out 53 but walking 28 in 45.1 innings. He has the highest ceiling out of the three, as his fastball is regularly up to 97 and has touched 100, and his slider has the makings of a plus pitch. However, he struggles with command, and that causes him to be hit hard occasionally.

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