Ex-Red Sox Hurler, Ex-Red Sox Exec 'Destroyed The Market' For Relievers

Old friends played a part in the offseason disfunction for relievers

Scott Neville | Jan 26, 2023

Ex-Red Sox Hurler, Ex-Red Sox Exec 'Destroyed The Market' For Relievers /

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Boston Red Sox

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.

More MLB: Ex-Red Sox Pitcher Reportedly Signs Lucrative Contract Extension With Rays

Published Jan 26, 2023

SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the Boston Red Sox for Sports Illustrated's new page "Inside The Red Sox." Before starting "Inside The Red Sox", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer. His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join the Sports Illustrated Media Group in his current endeavor as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox." The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Red Sox" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu