Red Sox Reportedly Showing Interest In Elite Free Agent Closer To Bolster Bullpen

Boston could use another high-leverage arm

Scott Neville | Oct 16, 2023

Red Sox Reportedly Showing Interest In Elite Free Agent Closer To Bolster Bullpen /

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Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox's pitching staff was a disaster last season but they did discover that Kenley Jansen and Chris Martin make a deadly one-two punch in the later innings.

Now Boston reportedly is showing interest in adding another devastating high-leverage reliever to the mix.

The Red Sox, New York Yankees and Chicago Cubs are among nine total teams who were in attendance to scout Japanese closer Yuki Matsui last month according to Yahoo Japan. The San Diego Padres also have been involved.

Matsui is soon to become one of the top international free agents on the market given his incredible resume.

The 27-year-old had a 1.57 ERA with a 72-to-13 strikeout-to-walk ratio and 0.89 WHIP in 57 1/3 innings this season for the Rakuten Golden Eagles of the Nippon Professional Baseball League.

Matsui was the youngest player in NPB history to record 200 saves back in April, and has continued to add to his totals. He has a career 2.40 ERA with 236 saves in 501 appearances across 10 seasons.

Entering his prime, the southpaw would be a perfect addition to the back of the bullpen alongside the aforementioned power duo, Josh Winckowski and others.

Matsui features a mid-90s fastball that can get up to 96 mph with a plus slider that he's used to produce a 32% strikeout rate.

Starting pitching is the Red Sox's top priority but they could also use another high-end arm to add to the bullpen. Matsui would be a cost-effective option with elite upside while also ensuring that Boston has a reliever with closing experience to aid Jansen -- who has been semi-injury prone as of late and enters his age-36 season.

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Published Oct 16, 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