ATLANTA, GA – JUNE 11: Addison Reed (Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images)
Bullpen – Trade
The Red Sox acquired Addison Reed from the New York Mets in exchange for a trio of right-handed relievers: Jamie Callahan, Stephen Nogosek and Gerson Bautista.
Reed had been filling in the closer seat for the Mets, logging 19 saves this season. He has a serviceable track record in that role, racking up 125 career saves over his seven seasons. Reed followed up a late-season emergence during New York’s World Series run in 2015 with a career year last season, posting a 1.97 ERA and 10.5 K/9 in 77 2/3 innings.
While not as dominant this year, Reed is having a solid season, posting a 2.57 ERA and 8.8 K/9. His fastball has declined to a career-low 92.6 mph, but he can get away with it due to his pinpoint control and a slider that generates swings and misses. He throws strikes, leading to a stellar 8.00 K/BB ratio that ranks 7th in the league among pitchers with a minimum of 40 innings this season – one spot ahead of Chris Sale.
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His tendency to work in the zone and rising home run rate (1.1 HR/9) seems alarming at first glance for a pitcher moving to a park where fly balls do more damage than they would in New York’s Citi Field. Except that four of the six homers he’s allowed this season came back in April, so it seems he’s put those issues behind him.
Reed is another rental eligible for free agency after the season, so it’s curious why the Red Sox had to surrender three prospects. They paid a price based on the Mets viewing him as their closer despite that he won’t fill that role in Boston unless Kimbrel is unavailable.
Callahan seems to have the most potential of the bunch heading to the Mets. The second-round pick in 2012 was the No. 20 prospect in the system, according to SoxProspects.com. He and Bautista were both eligible for the Rule-5 draft after this season. Callahan may have been protected by being added to the 40-man roster. It’s doubtful Bautista would have been, making him expendable. Nogosek was ranked as the No. 25 prospect by SoxProspects, but MLB.com ranked him as the top player in the deal at No. 18 in Boston’s system.
Once again, Dombrowski was willing to overpay a bit for a rental. With the Red Sox lacking a reliable setup man, the price should prove worthwhile if Reed meets expectations. The one concern is his workload, which Farrell will need to be cautious with (not his specialty). The relievers they gave up were unlikely to make it to the majors anytime soon, if at all. Boston needed help now and they got a quality pitcher to fill the void.