The Boston Red Sox are in serious need of bullpen assistance.
Their relievers have combined to rank 18th in MLB among bullpen ERA—blowing
the fourth-most saves (18) in baseball and holding the third-worst save percentage
(52.63).
Looking to address their bullpen woes, the Red Sox are
reportedly interested in Toronto Blue Jays closer Ken Giles. They also are pursuing
Kirby Yates of the San Diego Padres, though it seems unlikely he gets moved
before the MLB trade deadline on July 31.
Yates, the 32-year-old All-Star, is under contract through the
2020 season. Yates has a major-league best 31 saves in 33 opportunities this
season. He boasts a 1.05 ERA, 0.81 WHIP and 70 strikeouts in 43 innings.
The Padres (47-52) have underachieved this season, but plan
on competing in the NL West next year after signing Manny Machado in the
offseason to compliment a roster flushed with young talent. The Red Sox would
need to fork over significant assets to San Diego to acquire Yates.
A more reasonable target, Giles is also under team control
through next season, but the Blue Jays (38-63) are in full-rebuild mode and are
looking to stockpile young players. Giles owns a dazzling 1.64
ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 57/10 K/BB ratio over 33 innings with the Blue Jays this
season. The 28-year-old has 14 saves in 15 opportunities.
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| The Red Sox are pursuing Ken Giles in trade talks. (Evan Habeeb/USA Today Sports) |
The Red Sox announced last week that Nathan Eovaldi would be
the primary closer moving forward. The right-hander—who was activated from the
60-day injured list on Saturday after undergoing elbow surgery—was arguably the
team’s most valuable player last postseason. He registered a 1.61 ERA in six appearances
(two starts) across 22.1 innings in the playoffs, recording two wins against
one loss to help the Red Sox capture the 2018 World Series.
If the Red Sox were to acquire a proven closer such as Yates
or Giles, Eovaldi would presumably be moved into a setup role or back into the
starting rotation.
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