Ex-Red Sox Hurler, Ex-Red Sox Exec 'Destroyed The Market' For Relievers
Two old friends of the Boston Red Sox teamed up in National League and reportedly destroyed a key area of the pitching market in the process.
Earlier in the offseason, left-handed reliever Matt Strahm agreed to a two-year, $15 million deal with the Philadelphia Phillies -- a team headed by president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski, who held the same title with the Red Sox from 2016 to 2019.
The duo never crossed paths in Boston, but did seem to have a negative impact on the offseason upon coming together in Philly.
“That deal destroyed the market,” an executive told The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal.
Strahm, 31, went 4-4 with a 3.83 ERA, 52-to-17 strikeout-to-walk ratio and .224 batting average against in 44 2/3 innings last season.
The southpaw showed upside but had a middling season at best.
His lucrative deal has created complications for other left-handers such as Andrew Chafin and Matt Moore -- both of which outperformed Strahm last season but can't seem to find deals of a similar value.
Dombrowski may have slightly overpaid for Strahm but the deal did not warrant a ton of attention at the time. The idea that the market has been destroyed by Strahm's contract appears to be a stretch.
That said, there are a surprising amount of high-leverage southpaws still available.
The Red Sox were recently linked to Matt Moore and could really use his services. Hopefully, a pair of former Sox did not ruin any chance Boston has to lock Moore up.
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