Red Sox Showing Interest In White Sox Relief Trio

I reportedtwo days ago that the Red Sox may be interested in left-handed reliever Matt Thornton of the White Sox. More news has surfaced today that hints that the Red Sox may be scouting the White Sox a bit more in the coming weeks. MLB Trade Rumors reported today that the Red Sox are showing interest in not only Thornton, but two other White Sox relievers– Matt Lindstrom and Addison Reed.

May 13, 2013; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Chicago White Sox relief pitch Matt Lindstrom (27) delivers a pitch in the sixth inning against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

Lindstrom has been bouncing from team to team with varying effectiveness for years now. The hard-throwing right-hander has found himself with the White Sox for the past season or so and is making himself into a nice little trade piece for a struggling ChiSox team. In 2013 so far, Lindstrom has a 3.06 ERA; however, his peripherals have taken a hit since his peak years. He is striking out just 6.88 per nine innings, his lowest rate since 2008, and walking 4.33 per nine, his highest rate since 2009. His contract is $5.5 million for this season and he has a $6 million option with a $1 million buyout for 2014.

Jul 4, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago White Sox relief pitcher Addison Reed (43) delivers a pitch during the game against the Baltimore Orioles at U.S. Cellular Field. White Sox defeated the Orioles 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Reid Compton-USA TODAY Sports

As effective as Lindstrom has been this year, Addison Reed would be the real prize in a deal with the White Sox. Reed became a major league regular just last year and is making a name for himself as one of the best young relievers in baseball. His ERA is a bit high this year at 3.92; however, both his 9.69 K/9 and his 2.08 BB/9 are exceedingly impressive, especially for a 24 year old. Reed is under team control until 2018, and would be an excellent commodity to have.

All three bullpen arms would provide stability to a topsy-turvy Red Sox bullpen. However, none except Reed would bring a positive longterm impact, and Reed would be by far the most expensive. Either Lindstrom or Thornton would likely command a mid-level prospect, but Reed might garner a prospect of much higher ranking in the Red Sox’ farm system. It would be great to have any of these arms, especially Reed, but settling for Thornton or Lindstrom would still bring a fair amount of help to an overworked and ineffective bullpen.