As the final minutes before the 2024 trade deadline ticked away, the Boston Red Sox traded for bullpen help they desperately needed.
The Red Sox have acquired veteran reliever Luis García from the Los Angeles Angels, first reported by MLB insider Jon Heyman. He is a 37-year-old impending free agent. The Angels received four Red Sox Triple-A prospects in the deal — Ryan Zeferjahn, Matthew Lugo, Yeferson Vargas and Niko Kavadas.
García posted a 3.71 ERA with 40 strikeouts and 14 walks over 43.2 innings. He converted four saves on six opportunities.
García is a righty, so the Red Sox weren't able to secure the left-handed pitching help they sought before the deadline. However, García is trending in the right direction in his recent appearances and was a fine last-minute grab for Boston. He's clocked a 2.76 ERA in his last 15 appearances, and a 1.17 ERA in his seven most recent outings.
Red Sox acquire veteran right-handed reliever Luis García from the Angels
The Boston Red Sox reportedly got off a last-second trade before the deadline to acquire another reliever for their bullpen. https://t.co/avR6w2xua9
— NESN (@NESN) July 30, 2024
Boston added another righty reliever hours before its trade for García. He and Lucas Sims, a former Cincinnati Red, bring experienced depth to the back end of the Sox's bullpen. Many Red Sox relievers are either young, first-year big leaguers, or both, and the two veteran righties could help them learn in real-time, along with Chris Martin and Kenley Jansen.
García is already well acquainted with Red Sox pitching coach Andrew Bailey. He pitched for the Angels in 2019 while Bailey was the bullpen coach. Hopefully, the two can work together to continue García's recent positive trend.