Inside The Red Sox

Red Sox Reportedly 'Remain Interested' In Cuban Free Agent With Serious Upside

Boston could use a dynamic weapon on the pitching staff

Scott Neville

Red Sox Reportedly 'Remain Interested' In Cuban Free Agent With Serious Upside
Red Sox Reportedly 'Remain Interested' In Cuban Free Agent With Serious Upside /
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Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow allegedly is on a mission to bolster the pitching staff this offseason, placing an emphasis on starting pitching.

Whether Breslow actually will fulfill his promises remains to be seen but there at least appears to be some activity in the mid-market range.

We've seen the Red Sox linked to hurlers such as Lucas Giolito, Shota Imanaga and James Paxton in recent days. We can now add one highly intriguing right-hander whose role is undefined to the list of players attached to Boston.

"Boston Red Sox and Cincinnati Reds remain among the teams interested in the Cuban right-hander Yariel Rodríguez, per sources," Francys Romero reported Wednesday.

Rodríguez would be deemed a high-upside starter but there would be some question marks attached to his floor. Should the 26-year-old agree to join the bullpen, there's little doubt he'd be an impact hurler on Opening Day.

The Cuban star garnered attention for his performance in the World Baseball Classic after posting a 2.45 ERA with 10 strikeouts, six walks and a .200 batting average against in 7 1/3 innings.

He last pitched professionally with the Nippon Professional Baseball League in Japan, where he absolutely dominated.

Rodríguez went 6-2 with a 1.15 ERA, 60-to-18 strikeout-to-walk ratio and a 0.92 WHIP in 54 2/3 innings for the Chunichi Dragons in 2022. Across three seasons, the right-hander posted a 3.03 ERA.

The intriguing prospect is expected to sign this winter and could contribute right away as a reliever or take some time in Triple-A to hone his craft as a starter. In either scenario, he'll be a name to watch for whichever organization he joins.

It appears as if Boston could be a landing spot.

More MLB: Rumored Red Sox Target Lands Deal With White Sox, Ending Possible Pursuit

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Scott Neville
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

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