Red Sox News: Sorting through more bits and pieces with a Boston connection

Boston Red Sox related news you may have missed

Zack Scott’s title with the Boston Red Sox is Executive Vice President/Assistant General Manager with special emphasis on Baseball Analytics, Baseball Systems, and Pro Scouting departments. Now Scott is considered a front runner for the Mets GM position – another in a very long line of executive refugees from the Red Sox organization. Scott has been with the organization for 17 years.

If you remember right-hander Josh A. Smith then you have a very good memory for pitchers who quickly arrived and departed even quicker. Smith – now 33-years-old – came aboard the Red Sox train in 2019 and appeared in 13 games (0-3, 5.81) and spent the 2020 season getting hammed by NL hitters. Smith will now travel to Korea and the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) with a $500K contract.

You never can have enough Smith’s and while Josh A. was with Boston, Josh D. Smith had just finished up with the Red Sox stuffed in their minor league system for 2017-2018 with less than spectacular results. Both Smith’s toiled for the Marlins in 2020 with Josh D. tossing just 1.2 innings allowing two runs. Is the KBO in the possible future for the 31-year-old lefty who the Marlins have outrighted?

More KBO news is former Red Sox number one draft choice (2008) has re-signed with the KBO LG Twins. Casey Kelly has signed for a reported $1.4 MM and has had two solid seasons hurling in the hitter-friendly KBO posting a 2.93 ERA. In 2020 Kelly posted a 15-7 record and 3.32 ERA for the LG Twins who made it to the playoffs.

Righty Noe Ramirez pitched a small part of three seasons with the Red Sox (2015-2017) before being traded to the Angels where Ramirez had some reasonable success. In four seasons Ramirez has appeared in 151 games – including two starts – tossing to a 4.04 ERA/4.11 FIP and is now on the move. Ramirez was recently traded to the Reds for closer Raisel Iglesias.

Carlos Asuaje has signed a minor league deal with the Dodgers. Asuaje was part of the trade package with the Padres that brought Craig Kimbrel to Boston. Since then Asuaje – a 29-year-old lefty-hitting infielder – has done the organizational round-robin including a stint in the KBO.

Another important trade item is still in recovery mode and that is hard-throwing right-hander Anderson Espinoza. Espinoza was shipped to the Padres for Drew Pomeranz in a deal that had a significant portion of Red Sox Nation asking why. Anderson last appeared in 2016 for the Padres Class A team and since then has endured two Tommy John surgeries and a COVID season. Espinoza is still just 22-years-old and on the Padres 40-man roster.

In case you missed it – I did – the Red Sox signed Cesar Puello to a minor league deal. Puello briefly surfaced with the Red Sox in 2020 hitting .375 in five games. The 29-year-old right-hand-hitting outfielders has bounced around the MLB landscape for 66 games hitting .246 and guaranteeing his pension. Puello is pure minor league depth.

Goodbye to Pawtucket and hello to Worcester and the WooSox. The topping-off ceremony for Polar Park took place a few months ago and the Canal District edifice is scheduled to open as planned in April providing the Wuhan Virus cooperates. The Park will seat 10,000 and the real benefit of the project for those familiar with Worcester is Kelley Square is now just a navigational hazard and not a death trap.