Fastball

Boston Red Sox and Detroit Tigers Swap Minor League Pitchers in Late Night Trade

The Detroit Tigers agreed to send relief pitcher Trey Wingenter to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for prospect CJ Weins in one-for-one swap Saturday night.
Sam Connon|
Mar 23, 2024; Dunedin, Florida, USA; Detroit Tigers relieve pitcher Trey Wingenter throws a pitch agains the Toronto Blue Jays during the fifth inning at TD Ballpark.
Mar 23, 2024; Dunedin, Florida, USA; Detroit Tigers relieve pitcher Trey Wingenter throws a pitch agains the Toronto Blue Jays during the fifth inning at TD Ballpark. | Dave Nelson-USA TODAY Sports

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Boston Red SoxDetroit Tigers

The Boston Red Sox have acquired right-handed pitcher Trey Wingenter in a trade with the Detroit Tigers, the teams announced late Saturday night.

Detroit received right-handed pitcher CJ Weins on their end of the deal. Wingenter and Weins and both in the minor leagues.

Wingenter has spent all of 2024 with Triple-A Toledo. The 30-year-old righty has gone 4-4 with a 3.31 ERA, 1.469 WHIP, 13.2 strikeouts per nine innings and two saves in 26 relief appearances.

The San Diego Padres selected Wingenter in the 17th round of the 2015 MLB Draft, and he remained in the organization for the next six years. Through 2018, Wingenter was 9-7 with a 2.98 ERA, 1.172 WHIP, 10.5 strikeouts per nine innings and 33 saves in his minor league career.

Wingenter earned his first MLB promotion that year, and he finished 2018 with a 3.79 ERA, 1.263 WHIP, 12.8 strikeouts per nine innings and a 0.1 WAR across 22 big league outings. His production fell off in 2019, however, with his ERA climbing well over 5.00, and he missed almost all of 2020, 2021 and 2022 due to Tommy John surgery.

From there, Wingenter joined the Tigers, splitting 2023 between Triple-A and the majors. He went 1-0 with a 5.82 ERA, 1.353 WHIP, 11.6 strikeouts per nine innings and a -0.1 WAR in 17 MLB appearances, and his Triple-A numbers were strikingly similar.

It remains to be seen if the Red Sox will give Wingenter a chance in the big league bullpen in the near future, but his arrival does give them slightly more organizational depth to tap into.

Boston gave up Weins, a 23-year-old they selected in the sixth round of the 2023 MLB Draft. In 19 relief appearances with Single-A Salem this season, Weins is 0-2 with a 4.81 ERA, 1.438 WHIP, 10.7 strikeouts per nine innings and three saves.

The Red Sox are set to closeout their series with the New York Yankees on Sunday. The rubber match is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET.

The Tigers, meanwhile, have a chance to sweep the Cincinnati Reds at 1:40 p.m. ET.

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Sam Connon
SAM CONNON

Sam Connon is a staff writer covering baseball for “Fastball on SI.’’ He previously covered UCLA Athletics for On SI’s All Bruins site, and is a UCLA graduate, with his work there as a sports columnist receiving awards from the College Media Association and Society of Professional Journalists. Connon also wrote for On SI’s New England Patriots site, Patriots Country, and he was on the Patriots and Boston Red Sox beats at Prime Time Sports Talk. Sam lives in Boston.

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