Reese McGuire: B
The Sox immediately replaced Vázquez with Reese McGuire by sending struggling reliever Jake Diekman to the Chicago White Sox. Chicago will also send Boston either a player to be named later or cash.
Unloading Diekman allows the Sox to shed salary for next year as well, as he was owed $4M in the second year of his 2-year deal. He posted a 4.23 ERA over 44 games, the most appearances by any pitcher on the Red Sox roster. He also blew three of Boston’s 21 blown saves, the second-most in the majors.
Defensively, McGuire’s 46.7% strike rate behind the dish is the lowest of his career, but his +7 Defensive Runs Saved is just ahead of Vázquez’s +6.
McGuire is arbitration-eligible for the next three years, undoubtedly a significant part of his appeal to Bloom.