Ex-Yankees Left-Handed Hurler Reportedly Linked To Red Sox After Tuesday's Big Trade
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The Boston Red Sox certainly don't sound like they're done making moves.
Boston finally added a new middle infielder Tuesday afternoon as it dealt left-handed reliever, Josh Taylor, to the Kansas City Royals in exchange for shortstop Adalberto Mondesi and a player to be named later.
With Taylor on the move, it leaves the Red Sox with Joely Rodriguez as the only left-handed relief pitcher on the team's 40-man roster. There have been rumblings that the team may move James Paxton to the bullpen, but he has never made a relief appearance in his nine-year Major League Baseball career so adding another lefty may be a good idea. There still are some solid names left on the open market and one player the Red Sox have been linked to is former New York Yankees lefty Zack Britton, according to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal.
"Britton, 35, is in a different category, possessing the longest and most impressive track record," Rosenthal said. He recovered from Tommy John surgery in time to pitch in three games for the Yankees near the end of the season, but the team shut him down before the start of the playoffs citing shoulder fatigue. He is healthy again and seeking a one-year deal.
"According to sources with knowledge of the market but unauthorized to speak publicly, the team with varying interest in left-handed relievers and varying amounts to spend include the Rangers, Angels, and Astros in the AL West; Yankees, Red Sox, and Blue Jays in the AL East; and Brewers, Cardinals, and Cubs in the NL Central."
Britton is a two-time All-Star and has had a very solid career, but hasn't appeared in more than 22 games since 2019. The longtime Baltimore Oriole missed much of the 2021 and 2022 seasons after undergoing Tommy John surgery but was healthy in 2020 and impressed. Britton compiled a 1.89 ERA across 20 games in the COVID-shortened 60-game season. The lefty arguably was even more impressive in 2019 with a 1.91 ERA in 66 games pitched.
There's no way for sure to know what Britton will look like in 2023. He's 35 years old and is returning from major surgery, but has an impressive track record. If Boston were to ink the lefty to a deal, he wouldn't necessarily need to be the Britton of old. The Red Sox's bullpen already has been greatly improved this offseason so if Britton were able to even just be a back-of-the-bullpen guy it would give the team an extra left-handed option.
He wouldn't need to be the Red Sox's go-to guy but could have an extremely high upside. Britton likely won't command a massive deal and is only looking for a one-year deal. If he were to turn back the clock and look like 2019's version of himself that would be great, but even if he was just okay, a deal wouldn't hurt Boston.
Whether the Red Sox come to terms on a deal, at the very least it appears as though the team isn't done making additions.
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