Boston Red Sox Swing a Deal for Fernando Abad
The Red Sox’s bullpen has been ravaged by injuries in the past couple of weeks. Even after making a move to add Brad Ziegler, Boston has continued to add to their relief corps by trading for Twins lefty, Fernando Abad.
The Boston Red Sox have arguably been the most active team on the trade market this summer. They have added Ziegler, Drew Pomeranz, Aaron Hill and now Fernando Abad into the fold before the trade deadline. While Pomernaz may have been the club’s big move, the other three additions represent additional depth to their roster.
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In order to land the Minnesota Twins left hander, the Red Sox have given up pitcher, Pat Light. The 25 year-old reliever is currently pitching in Triple-A. He sits with a 2.32 ERA for the Pawtucket Red Sox, accumulating 36 strikeouts over 31.0 innings. Light was ranked as the Red Sox’s 14th best prospect in their farm system according to MLBPipeline. He has some electric stuff as he can throw mid-high 90s coming out of the bullpen, and compliments his heater with a good splitter. Light’s achilles heal has been his control, as he has posted high walk rates throughout his time in the minors. This season, he’s allowing almost five free passes per nine innings. Still, Light is close to contributing at the major league level and the Twins needed to get more young pitching for their system.
For the Red Sox, there has been a clear hole in the bullpen after both Craig Kimbrel and Koji Uehara went down with injuries. Uehara may not return this year as he is dealing with a strained pectoral muscle, according to the Boston Globe. Kimbrel was pitching well in 9th inning for the Red Sox until he had to undergo surgery to repair a torn meniscus. But the good news is that he is supposed to return soon after pitching a couple of innings of rehab in the minors. Still, Boston felt that they needed to add another bullpen arm before the trade deadline to help stabilize their pen.
Fernando Abad has been productive for the Twins this season, pitching to an impressive 2.32 ERA. He hasn’t been exceptional at striking hitters out as he is only averaging 7.7 K’s per nine innings. His walk rate is also not very impressive either, allowing close to four walks per nine innings of work. Abad’s FIP of 3.43 also suggests that he is not throwing as well as his ERA would suggest. However, he has avoided the long ball this year, only allowing two long balls in 39 appearances, and he’s been tough on left-handed hitters, as they only hit for a .163 average off of the former Minnesota Twin in 2016.
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Boston was in need of a left-handed pitcher to pair with Brad Ziegler in the 8th inning, and Abad fits perfectly in that role. The 30 year-old has been a productive reliever for the past several years and is controllable for the another season, so the Red Sox aren’t dealing away one of their top 15 best minor leaguers for a rental.
This isn’t a blockbuster move by any stretch of the imagination, but it is a much needed addition to Boston’s relief corps. We’ll wait and see if the Red Sox will be able to land another starter before 4 p.m. today.
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What do you think of the Red Sox’s trade for Fernando Abad? Share your thoughts in the comments below.