Inside The Red Sox

Red Sox Signing 6-Foot-8 Fireballer After Japan Stint

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Jackson Roberts|
Feb. 24, 2023; Goodyear, Arizona, USA; Cincinnati Reds pitcher Tayron Guerrero (50) throws a pitch in the bullpen at the Cincinnati Reds Player Development Complex in Goodyear, Ariz., on Friday, Feb. 24, 2023. Mandatory Credit: Sam Greene-USA TODAY NETWORK
Feb. 24, 2023; Goodyear, Arizona, USA; Cincinnati Reds pitcher Tayron Guerrero (50) throws a pitch in the bullpen at the Cincinnati Reds Player Development Complex in Goodyear, Ariz., on Friday, Feb. 24, 2023. Mandatory Credit: Sam Greene-USA TODAY NETWORK | Sam Greene/The Enquirer-USA TODAY NETWORK

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Boston Red Sox

Quite famously, the Boston Red Sox are the only team not to sign a major league free agent this offseason. That seemingly places some pressure on their minor-league additions to perform.

Over the weekend, the Red Sox reportedly agreed to terms with quite possibly the hardest-throwing pitcher they've picked up all winter. The only issue is that he hasn't appeared in a major league game since 2019.

According to a report from Beyond the Monster's Andrew Parker, the Red Sox signed right-hander Tayron Guerrero to a minor-league contract. The deal has yet to appear on Guerrero's official transactions log as of Monday morning.

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Tayron Guerrero looking to compete for bullpen spot

Guerrero, 35, spent the past season with the Chiba Lotte Marines in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball. There, he posted a 6.41 ERA in 19 2/3 innings with the major league team, and a 2.25 ERA in 20 innings with the Marines' minor-league affiliate.

From 2021 through 2024, Guerrero played minor-league ball stateside, pitching for the Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati Reds, and Los Angeles Angels organizations. He's thrown at the Triple-A level in seven different seasons, totaling 107 appearances, and has posted a 7.00 ERA there.

So why were the Red Sox interested in Guerrero? Because apparently, his fastball has been up to 101 mph in the past, and if the Red Sox have shown us anything about their pitching philosophy over the last couple of seasons, it's that they value swings and misses.

One of the ways to a swing and miss is a dominant fastball, which can involve superior velocity, unique shape, or a combination of both. If we assume Guerrero comes to camp throwing 97-98 this spring, the Red Sox will presumably work on finding him some tricks of the trade to change up the movement.

None of this guarantees that Guerrero will make even one major league appearance all season, but the Red Sox are giving him the chance to do just that after a seven-year wait.

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Jackson Roberts
JACKSON ROBERTS

Jackson Roberts is a former Division III All-Region DH who now writes and talks about sports for a living. A Bay Area native and a graduate of Swarthmore College and the Newhouse School at Syracuse University, Jackson makes his home in North Jersey. He grew up rooting for the Red Sox, Patriots, and Warriors, and he recently added the Devils to his sports fandom mosaic. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding Boston Red Sox On SI, please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org

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