Red Sox Sign 29-Year-Old Pitcher After Phillies Exit

Will we see Devin Sweet in the big leagues this year?

Mar 5, 2019; West Palm Beach, FL, USA; A detailed view of a Boston Red Sox cap, sunglasses and glove in the dugout during a spring training game between the Washington Nationals and the Boston Red Sox at FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images | Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

The Boston Red Sox had plenty of pitching to replace at the Triple-A level this offseason, and they snuck in a transaction in mid-December that just popped up on the radar.

According to the transactions log on his official roster page, right-handed pitcher Devin Sweet signed a minor-league deal with the Red Sox on Dec. 18. That deal did not appear on the log until at least a week later, and Red Sox on SI could not find any reports publicizing it until Sunday.

Sweet, a 29-year-old with seven major league games under his belt, doesn't project to have a massive impact on this Red Sox season. But we never know which of these seemingly small deals will loom large when the chips fall a certain way.

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What Devin Sweet brings to Red Sox

Sweet's only major league experience came in 2023 with the Oakland Athletics and Seattle Mariners, when he allowed 10 earned runs, including four home runs, in 8 2/3 innings. Both teams waived him that year, and he's since had stints with the Detroit Tigers and Philadelphia Phillies.

This season, Sweet didn't do much as a member of the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs. In 46 appearances, he pitched to a 5.08 ERA and struck out 49 batters in 51 1/3 innings. Opposing hitters batted .241 against him, and his walk rate also climbed to 4.73 per nine innings, his worst as a professional.

The talent drain at Worcester has been swift this offseason, as pitchers like Nick Burdi, Richard Fitts, and Hunter Dobbins have left the organization, while Shane Drohan, Tyler Uberstine, and David Sandlin were elevated to the 40-man roster and will have a shot at earning a big-league roster spot out of spring traning.

Do the Red Sox expect Sweet to be anything more than a Triple-A innings-eater out of the bullpen? Perhaps not, but we chronicle all these moves because we know they all have a chance to matter later in the year.

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