Red Sox Make Trade With Royals To Bolster Bullpen Depth At Halfway Point
In this story:
Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom has always been a strong proponent of adding pitching depth throughout the season and has done so once again.
Earlier in the season, Bloom added left-hander Brennan Bernardino and right-hander Justin Garza -- both of whom have contributed to the bullpen this season.
The Red Sox traded for Kansas City Royals right-handed reliever Andrés Núñez on Tuesday according to the Major League Baseball transaction wire. Boston's return has not been released but given the return, it's almost certainly just cash or a low-level player to be named later.
Núñez posted a 6.66 ERA with a 20-to-14 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .289 batting average against and a 1.73 WHIP in 24 1/3 innings this season for Triple-A Omaha.
Those numbers are less-than-encouraging but his performance last season was far better. The 27-year-old recorded a 3.61 ERA with a 69-to-17 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .266 batting average against and 1.30 WHIP in 62 1/3 innings.
The move comes just a few days after Bloom added right-hander Tyler Scott from the Los Angeles Dodgers and assigned him to Triple-A Worcester.
Both Scott and Núñez will have the chance to prove themselves as reliable back-end options when the bullpen inevitably needs new life down the road.
While neither is super impressive on paper, all it takes is one hot streak for a reliever to become an important weapon for Boston as they attempt to climb into postseason contention.
More MLB: Alex Cora Addresses Red Sox Slugger's Comments About Desiring Trade
