The Boston Red Sox could use another arm in the bullpen.
Boston attempted to fix the club’s bullpen this past offseason by adding three-time All-Star Kenley Jansen, Chris Martin, and Joely Rodriguez to the mix. The Red Sox’s efforts paid off to begin the season, but the bullpen has seen some struggles as of late.
There are plenty of changes coming ahead of Tuesday’s clash against the Seattle Mariners with lefty Ryan Sherriff and righty Justin Garza reportedly being called up, according to MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo.
Rodriguez was activated by the club Sunday night as longtime hurler Ryan Brasier was designated for assignment. Boston also optioned Brennan Bernardino down to the minor leagues Monday night, although he has been impressive so far this season for Boston.
Hopefully, these changes help bring stability back to the Boston bullpen which currently ranks 19th in the league with a 4.11 ERA.
If struggles continue, Boston may opt for an external option to improve the bullpen even further. One hurler who currently is available and could be of some help to Boston is fireballer and former All-Star Corey Knebel.
The 31-year-old spent the 2022 campaign with the Philadelphia Phillies and logged a 3.43 ERA in 46 appearances. Knebel’s advanced measurements were even more impressive as he finished in the 80th percentile in fastball velocity, 82nd percentile in fastball spin rate, and 89th percentile in curveball spin rate.
In his career, Knebel has compiled a 3.26 ERA across eight big league seasons. Knebel’s most impressive season was 2017 as a member of the Milwaukee Brewers.
The fireballer led the National League with 76 appearances and compiled a 1.78 ERA to go along with an eye-popping 126 strikeouts while earning his long All-Star nod.
Knebel somehow remains a free agent so he likely could be signed to a cheap big league contract or a minor league deal. The righty is just 31-years-old so he should have plenty of solid baseball in front of him. If the Red Sox were looking to add another arm, he would be the perfect low-cost, high-reward player.
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