The Boston Red Sox have made some small roster moves to add pitching depth to the stressed starting rotation and bullpen.
Red Sox chief baseball officer and pitching specialist Craig Breslow has clearly been on the hunt for talent to boost Boston's pitching staff in the event of further emergencies. He's even looking in independent leagues, which is where the Sox's two newest acquisitions came from.
Boston has signed right-hander Danny Kirwin to a minor league deal. Kirwin is the first player from the Oakland Ballers organization in the Pioneer League to sign with an MLB club. The Ballers opened in Oakland to bring baseball back to a city that has been wronged by the Oakland Athletics' ownership in recent years.
The pitcher recently went viral after his former squad posted a video of him throwing. Kirwin's fastball can crack 98 MPH and his cutter is allegedly so nasty it was flagged on Twitter.
Kirwin played for Rider University as a grad student in 2023 and he clocked a 2.32 ERA in 50.1 innings in relief. He fanned 67 batters and didn't allow a run in 17 of his 25 appearances.
Red Sox signed two right-handed relievers from independent leagues, Danny Kirwin and Adam Smith
On Saturday we posted a video of Danny Kirwin throwing a cutter that was so nasty the video was flagged as insensitive content.
— Oakland Ballers (@OaklandBallers) April 23, 2024
On Sunday the Red Sox acquired his contractual rights. pic.twitter.com/1gXV61fkLX
The Red Sox added another pitcher to a minors deal, this time from the Frontier League. Boston signed Adam Smith, another righty reliever, from the Evansville Otters.
Smith was previously drafted by the San Diego Padres in 2021, but he never made it up through their organization. He played three years of pro ball low in San Diego's system until he signed with the Otters this season. Smith never got the chance to debut for the Frontier League squad this season before the Red Sox signed him.
Smith pitched with the Padres' High-A affiliate, the Fort Wayne Tin-Caps, in 2023. The reliever logged a 5.83 ERA in 41.2 innings with 35 strikeouts and 21 walks. He will report to the Red Sox High-A affiliate, the Greenville Drive, upon his arrival to the organization.