3 players the Red Sox could’ve DFA’ed instead of Jeter Downs and Eric Hosmer

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - AUGUST 26: Ryan Brasier #70 of the Boston Red Sox is relieved during the eighth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park on August 26, 2022 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - AUGUST 26: Ryan Brasier #70 of the Boston Red Sox is relieved during the eighth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park on August 26, 2022 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
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Why won’t the Red Sox designate any of their worst pitchers for assignment?

Over the span of approximately 30 hours between Thursday afternoon and Friday evening, the Boston Red Sox made two shocking designations for assignment.

They DFA’ed Jeter Downs, the top prospect acquired in the Mookie Betts trade, in order to open a spot on the 40-man roster for newcomer Masataka Yoshida. Then, Eric Hosmer‘s spot went to reliever Wyatt Mills, whom the Sox acquired from the Kansas City Royals on Friday.

While the timing is weird for Hosmer, and Downs is yet another brutal reminder of how bad the Betts trade was, neither of the DFAs was projected to be crucial to the club’s future. The issue isn’t so much that they got the axe, but that it happened to them first. Several other players on the roster who’ve underperformed for significantly longer seem to be impervious.

Here are three players the Sox can probably do better without…

1. Ryan Brasier

Ryan Brasier

He looked like the perfect non-tender candidate in November, coming off a season in which he pitched a career-high 62 1/3 innings across 68 appearances, but also posted a career-worst 5.78 ERA and 73 ERA+. Opposing batters hit .280/.312/.481 against him.

Brasier is a perplexing pitcher. After a 9.4% walk rate between 2020-21, he cut way down on giving out free passes this season (4.9). 2022 was his age-34 season, and he threw his 4-seam fastball, changeup, and sinker harder than he did the year before (though he only pitched 12 innings in 2021). He’s in the 81st percentile or better in walk rate, chase rate, fastball velocity, and extension.

But while he’s an above-average strikeout pitcher, he’s in the third percentile for hard-hit rate, and in the fifth for average exit velocity. He’s well below average in terms of expected batting average (xBA), expected slugging percentage (xSLG), and barrel %.

He’s certainly not the worst reliever the Sox have ever had – and he was great in 2018 – but his departure is overdue, especially now that the Sox have made so many bullpen upgrades.

Aug 10, 2022; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Atlanta Braves shortstop Vaughn Grissom (18) rounds the bases after hitting a two run home run against Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Darwinzon Hernandez (63) in the seventh inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 10, 2022; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Atlanta Braves shortstop Vaughn Grissom (18) rounds the bases after hitting a two run home run against Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Darwinzon Hernandez (63) in the seventh inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Darwinzon Hernandez

For several years, the Red Sox have tried to unlock this potential they see in Darwinzon Hernandez, and each season it’s essentially the same story: he issues too many walks, and he allows too many runs.

Due to injuries, Hernandez barely pitched for Boston in 2022, only throwing 6 2/3 innings across seven appearances. It’s too small of a sample size to judge by ERA, which came out to a whopping 21.60. Instead, look at what he did over those 6 2/3 innings. He allowed 16 earned runs on 14 hits. He gave up four home runs, after giving up five in 40 innings the year before. He walked eight batters.

It’s almost impressive how much he managed to do in such a small amount of time on the mound.

Between his 2019 debut and 2021, Hernandez posted a 3.66 ERA across 84 games, including one start and seven games finished. He barely allowed home runs before 2022, but his career 17.7% walk rate defies logic; league average is 8.5%.

Much like Brasier, the question is how long does the leash go? The Sox collectively gave up the ninth-most walks of any team in baseball this year. They came into the offseason knowing they needed to overhaul the bullpen, and have spent tens of millions on some impressive relievers, including Chris Martin, who owns the lowest walk rate among active pitchers (with at least 200 career innings); in other words, he’s essentially the anti-Hernandez. Keeping both of them on the roster is a zero-sum setup.

BOSTON, MA – AUGUST 9: Kaleb Ort #61 of the Boston Red Sox delivers during the tenth inning of a game against the Atlanta Braves on August 9, 2022 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA – AUGUST 9: Kaleb Ort #61 of the Boston Red Sox delivers during the tenth inning of a game against the Atlanta Braves on August 9, 2022 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images) /

3. Kaleb Ort

Like Garrett Whitlock, Kaleb Ort was a Red Sox Rule 5 draft addition from the New York Yankees farm system.

Unlike Whitlock, Ort hasn’t managed to carry his Triple-A success up to the majors. Over 26 relief appearances this season, he allowed 23 runs (20 earned) on 35 hits, including four home runs. In 28 1/3 innings, he struck out 27 batters but also issued 15 walks.

Of the three pitchers on this list, Ort deserves the most patience. The Sox clearly saw enough promise to take him in the draft, and he hasn’t even pitched 29 career innings yet; his 2021 debut consisted of exactly one (scoreless) appearance, in which he recorded exactly one out. The 2022 Red Sox season was an absolute disaster for young pitchers. With so many concurrent pitching injuries, Ort was one of several rookies put in tough spots. Still, despite the trial-by-fire-esque season, his fastball velocity put him in the 88th percentile, and he has above-average vertical and horizontal movement on his 4-seamer and slider.

Unfortunately for Ort, his age puts him in a different position than his fellow rookie pitchers. Brayan Bello is 23, Zack Kelly is 27, and Franklin German just turned 25; Ort will be 31 in February. It’s safe to assume he has less time to prove himself than some of the other new kids on the block.

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