Red Sox Reliever Elects Free Agency After Promising Start To MLB Career

Boston could be burned by this loss

Scott Neville | Oct 18, 2022

Red Sox Reliever Elects Free Agency After Promising Start To MLB Career /

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Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox lost a young reliever shortly after he proved to be a major league ready bullpen arm.

"The Red Sox today outrighted right-handed pitcher Eduard Bazardo off the major league roster," the Red Sox announced Monday via Twitter. "He has elected to become a free agent."

Despite a strong September showcase, the Red Sox designated Eduard Bazardo for assignment Thursday to clear out room on the 40-man roster. Boston added right-handed reliever Jake Reed from the Baltimore Orioles in his place.

After clearing waivers, Bazardo was left with two options. He could have reported to Triple-A Worcester and attempted to work his way back up to Boston or test free agency. Bazardo elected the latter.

Given the timing of the release, it makes sense to see if he can latch on to a major league club before a potential return to the Red Sox organization.

The roster move was considered to be somewhat of a surprise, as Bazardo ended the season on a strong note. The 27-year-old went 1-0 with a 2.76 ERA, 11-to-4 strikeout-to-walk ratio and .203 batting average against in 16 1/3 innings. In limited work, the rookie proved to be a quality reliever and certainly did not appear, at least on paper, to be worthy of moving on from.

That said, it speaks volumes that he cleared waivers without being claimed, which is the biggest surprise of all. He's been a solid reliever with an electric mix for years yet he's been unable to garner any substantial time at the highest level.

The Red Sox still could bring back Bazardo, as it is not unusual for a player to test free agency and then return back to his former organization outside of the 40-man roster and work his way back into good faith. However, those odds drop at this point in the year, when it will be much easier for him to stick on elsewhere as every team begins to retool their rosters.

Bazardo's decision comes just days after veteran outfielder Abraham Almonte made the same choice to elect free agency following being outrighted.

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Published Oct 18, 2022

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