Recently Released Red Sox Hurler Signs With Contender For Playoff Run

The southpaw has a chance to win a ring

Scott Neville | Aug 17, 2023

Recently Released Red Sox Hurler Signs With Contender For Playoff Run /

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Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox have had to make some tough cuts this season, including a plethora of relievers the organization expected to make a greater impact than they did.

One of the more recent moves made was the release of left-hander Richard Bleier -- whom the organization traded Matt Barnes for in a deal with the Miami Marlins. He's now found a new home.

"Always looking for more depth at Triple-A Iowa, the (Chicago) Cubs have signed lefty reliever Richard Bleier to a minor-league deal," The Athletic's Patrick Mooney tweeted Thursday. "Bleier, who was released by the Red Sox last week, has a 3.27 career ERA in 335 major-league appearances, mostly with the (Baltimore) Orioles and (Miami) Marlins."

The 36-year-old has had an impressive career but appeared to be out of gas in his strange stint with Boston. Bleier posted a 5.28 ERA with a 16-to-5 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .306 batting average against and 1.37 WHIP in 30 2/3 innings this season.

It's hard to be a productive Major League Baseball reliever without generating swings-and-misses -- Bleier did not possess that ability in his stint with the Red Sox.

If he can bounce back, Bleier will have a chance to appear in a playoff run. Despite being 62-58 -- a worse record than Boston -- the Cubs currently hold a Wild Card spot in the much weaker National League race.

More MLB: Red Sox Cut Ties With Flamethrowing Hurler Attempting MLB Comeback

Published Aug 17, 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