- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,130,247
- Reaction score
- 59
You must be registered for see images attach
Red Sox Receive Promising Grade On $130 Million Offseason Signing originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
After losing Alex Bregman to the Chicago Cubs in free agency this offseason, the Boston Red Sox quickly pivoted, bolstering their bullpen by signing star pitcher Ranger Suárez to a five-year, $130 million contract.
Suárez joined Boston after spending the first eight years of his career with the Philadelphia Phillies and has excelled this season. Though the 30-year-old hurler missed some time with hamstring tightness earlier this season, he's posted a 2.40 ERA across nine starts, allowing only 13 runs this season while striking out 43 batters.
In a column re-grading some of this year's top offseason signings in baseball, Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller gave the Red Sox a promising B grade for their signing of Suárez.
"In two of his nine starts, Ranger Suárez went eight scoreless innings, allowing a combined total of three hits," Miller wrote on Sunday. "In those outings, he looked to be worth every penny of this contract and then some. However, in five of his nine starts, Suárez didn't even complete five innings, which is rather unfathomable for what is one of the 20 highest-paid pitchers in the game right now.
"That having been said, it's kind of hard to argue with what would be the fourth-best ERA among qualified AL pitchers, if Suárez had enough innings to qualify. At least he's putting the team in a position to win more often than not. He's just taxing the bullpen more than an ace-salaried arm should."
Boston likely would have received an even higher grade for Suárez's signing had there not been durability concerns with the All-Star hurler. Despite some concerns with pitching deep into games, Suárez has been a great addition to the Red Sox's starting rotation.
More MLB: Could Move To Shortstop Be The Key To Unlock Marcelo Mayer's Potential?
Continue reading...
