Red Sox: Five potential closer options to target in free agency
By Sean Penney
Red Sox free agent target – Trevor Rosenthal
Once an All-Star closer who tallied 48 saves for the St. Louis Cardinals in 2015, Trevor Rosenthal ‘s career was derailed by Tommy John surgery that wiped out his 2018 season.
His return to the big leagues with the Washington Nationals last year started out as terribly as one could possibly imagine. Rosenthal allowed seven earned runs over his first three appearances without recording an out. By the end of April, Rosenthal owned a 36.00 ERA and had issued as many walks as the number of outs he recorded (nine).
The Nats placed Rosenthal on the injured list followed by a stint in Double-A to figure things out. He was notably better when he returned to Washington in June, allowing only one run in his first four appearances, but the team released him following a three-run implosion against Atlanta.
Rosenthal finished up the year with the Detroit Tigers where he allowed seven earned runs in nine innings, proving he still had work to do to rediscover his previous form.
Based on the results from this season, it appears he found it. Rosenthal joined the Kansas City Royals on a minor league deal and posted a respectable 3.29 ERA over 14 appearances. His production was appealing enough to attract a trade to the contending Padres and he tossed 10 shutout innings down the stretch with San Diego.
Overall, Rosenthal owned a 1.90 ERA, 0.845 WHIP and 14.5 K/9 this year.
It seems as though it’s been forever since Rosenthal was a reliable option to pitch in the ninth inning but he’s only 30 years old. If his success this year is any indication, Rosenthal still has plenty left in the tank to return to being a top-notch closer.