Red Sox News: Former players on the move elsewhere
Former Red Sox players shuffling around the MLB landscape
I am now catching up with some former Red Sox players who have been on the move recently. The first is the latest casualty, and it is pitching. Right-hander Matt Andriese has signed a major league deal with the Seattle Mariners. Andriese was recently released by the Red Sox.
Andriese was a typical Chaim Bloom signing, a low-risk $1.875 million deal that failed. The Red Sox pictured the veteran as a possible swingman with occasional turns as a starter. Andriese pitched to a 6.03 ERA and a 2-3 record.
Andriese’s early going was promising for Boston with a strong April but rapidly deteriorated after that with a six-week stint to the IL tossed in. The M’s moved quickly and added Andriese for bullpen depth.
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After being acquired in a trade with the Giants, Heath Hembree had a lengthy stay with the Red Sox, appearing in 251 games spread over seven seasons. The now 32-year-old righty was traded to the Phillies in 2020 and released after a horrific 9 1/3 innings that included seven home runs.
This season, Hembree was the early season closer for the Reds until a ballooning ERA, but Hembree was on waivers to be claimed by the Mets. Hembree does bring to the New York’s ‘pen a 38.0 K% and just a 5.6 BB%.
In 2019, the Red Sox were rewarded with a workhorse performance from right-hander Marcus Walden. He appeared in 70 games and tossed 78 innings, finishing with a 9-2 record. The 2020 season was a disaster for Walden, who eventually went the paperwork trail and ended up in Worcester this season.
The Cubs have now stepped in and signed Walden to a minor league deal. This is no new exploratory route for the soon-to-be 33-year-old righty. Walden had sifted through ten seasons in the bushes with five organizations before getting the call to Boston in the 2018 season for eight games.
In June of 2019, the Red Sox were looking for additional infield help and signed Chris Owings. The right-hand hitter had some solid success with Arizona before hitting just .206 in 2018.
Owings signed on with the Royals, and the .133 average summarizes why the Royals cut ties with him. In Boston, the improvement was nil, with Owings hitting just .156. Owings surfaced in 2020 with the Rockies and made strides reestablishing his career, hitting .268 over 17 games.
Next. Chris Sale is still sharpening his tools. dark
This season, Owings has been solid with a .326 average in 21 games. The game figure and possibly skewered from the results from injuries, specifically to Owings’ thumb that will now require season-ending surgery.