Red Sox Reportedly Add Former AL East Hurler As Left-Handed Bullpen Depth Piece
The Boston Red Sox still are making moves.
Boston entered the offseason with plenty of holes up and down the roster after finishing 78-84 in 2022 and has responded with a plethora of moves. The Red Sox have made some big-name additions -- like three-time All-Star Kenley Jansen -- but also have opted for small moves to improve depth, like the latest reported addition of left-handed relief pitcher Ryan Sherriff, according to his official Twitter account.
Sherriff last appeared in a Major League Baseball game as a member of the Tampa Bay Rays in 2021. The 32-year-old made his MLB debut with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2017 and spent the first two years of his career with the club. Sherriff didn't pitch in the big leagues again until joining the Rays in 2020 and compiled a 0.00 ERA in 10 appearances. He wasn't as successful in 2021 with a 5.52 ERA in 16 games.
The lefty missed much of the 2022 campaign while dealing with bicep tendinitis, but did make 14 minor league appearances and compiled a 2.51 ERA.
While the details of a deal between Sherriff and the Red Sox haven't been announced, it likely is a minor league deal. With only two left-handed relievers currently on Boston's roster Sherriff is an intriguing, low-risk depth piece with major league experience.
If he were to find his form in the minors, he potentially could be used by the big league club in a back-of-the-bullpen role. If things don't come together for him in 2023, the Red Sox don't lose anything.
Sherriff's reported signing doesn't make Boston contenders by any stretch of the imagination and likely doesn't impact the team too much, but if he's able to capture lightning in a bottle and shine in the minors, maybe we could see the hurler at Fenway Park at some point this summer.
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