Red Sox Add Intriguing Left-Handed Reliever To Bolster Bullpen After Big Trade

Boston has stayed active as of late

Scott Neville | Jan 26, 2023

Red Sox Add Intriguing Left-Handed Reliever To Bolster Bullpen After Big Trade /

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Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox appear to be restocking on left-handed hurlers after Tuesday's trade with the Kansas City Royals left the organization extremely thin on southpaws.

Left-handed reliever Josh Taylor's departure from Boston in the trade for shortstop Adalberto Mondesí and a player to be named later is old news as the Red Sox continue to make multiple moves a day -- some smaller than others.

The latest move could have been a response to the trade, or simply a move for organizational depth.

The Red Sox signed left-handed reliever Skylar Arias to a minor-league deal according to the club's transaction log.

The 25-year-old posted a 3.91 ERA, 37-to-17 strikeout-to-walk ratio and .173 batting average against in 23 innings for the Chicago White Sox's High-A affiliate last season.

The southpaw features a low-90s fastball that can reach at least 95 mph, a devastating low-80s slider and a low-80s changeup according to Baseball America's scouting report from 2021.

His career batting average against of .206 is extremely promising, aided by his unique delivery and arm angle. Both offspeed offerings are strong but his slider is his filthiest offering.

Arias' biggest hurdle will be to tame his career 5.10 walks per nine innings.

It would be shocking if Arias factors into the big league club at any point in 2023 -- he's not even on the 40-man roster. Still, Arias is a promising lefty joining an organization that has a shortage or reliable southpaws.

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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