Hector Rondon could give the Boston Red Sox bullpen a boost
The Boston Red Sox were thin on bullpen depth to begin with but a positive COVID-19 test for closer-candidate Matt Barnes has the team scrambling for reliable arms as Opening Day approaches. The team won’t confirm which players are being quarantined for contact tracing but if anyone from the pitching staff isn’t cleared to begin the season on time, Boston’s bullpen hierarchy could get a bit murkier.
The uncertainty has led the Red Sox to consider bringing in reinforcements. One reliever they reportedly have their eye on is Hector Rondon, according to MassLive’s Chris Cotillo.
One free-agent reliever the Red Sox are showing interest in, per source: Héctor Rondón. 33-year-old opted out of minor-league deal with Phillies last week.
— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) March 29, 2021
Rondon recently opted out of a minor league deal with the Philadelphia Phillies. He would have been paid $1.5 million this season if he made the major league team but when it became apparent he wasn’t going to earn a spot in their bullpen, Rondon decided to seek other options. The Red Sox would appear to have a clear path to a major league spot in the short-term, which could make them an appealing option for the veteran reliever.
The right-hander settled for a minor league deal in the wake of a miserable 2020 season in which he posted a 7.65 ERA in 20 innings for the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Last year’s small sample is hard to trust and Rondon has a strong track record. He was an excellent closer for the Chicago Cubs early in his career with 92 career saves on his resume. He last served in that capacity for a portion of the 2018 season when he notched 15 saves for the Houston Astros.
The overall career numbers for Rondon are appealing. He owns a 3.49 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 9.1 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 in eight major league seasons.
That being said, there are some red flags with his recent track record, not the least of which is that he couldn’t earn a spot in a Phillies bullpen that was the worst in baseball last year. Yes, even worse than the Red Sox bullpen.
Some of last year’s poor performances can be chalked up to small sample-sized flukes but with Rondon, there are some concerns that point to his decline. His fastball velocity, which hovered between 96-97 mph for most of his career, dipped to 95.8 mph last season, his lowest since his rookie campaign. He was stingy with allowing walks early in his career and relatively average in that category over the last few years but his walk rate uncharacteristically jumped to 5.0 BB/9 last season.
The rushed summer camp to prepare for the shortened season resulted in many pitchers struggling to get ready on short notice but those excuses aren’t going to cut it this year. The Phillies noted that Rondon’s velocity was slow coming in spring training and that appears to have been a factor in his inability to cement a spot in their bullpen.
The results this spring weren’t exactly encouraging either. Rondon allowed six earned runs in seven innings of work for a 7.71 ERA.
At least the strikeout upside is still there as he struck out eight batters in those seven innings. As poorly as he pitched last season, his 10.4 K/9 remained strong. Rondon only walked two batters this spring, suggesting the control issues that plagued him last year are behind him.
The 33-year-old’s best years might be behind him but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s washed up. There isn’t exactly a surplus of quality bullpen arms sitting around waiting to be scooped up at this time of year. If the Red Sox need bullpen help, Rondon is an available option they should be able to get for cheap.
At the very least, he’s an experienced pitcher who can give them some innings in low-leverage situations. If his velocity picks up and he regains his command, Rondon is capable of delivering key innings for this bullpen. It’s worth taking a cheap flier on a reliever with his track record knowing they can cut bait if he doesn’t pan out.