Red Sox Should Make Offer To Ex-Yankees Hurler Who Just Elected Free Agency

The right-hander could be a quality middle reliever for Boston

Scott Neville | Jul 17, 2023

Red Sox Should Make Offer To Ex-Yankees Hurler Who Just Elected Free Agency /

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Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox have a chance to poach a solid hurler from the New York Yankees organization to bolster their bullpen.

"Right-handed pitcher Matt Bowman has opted out of his contract with the Yankees," MLB.com's Mark Feinsand tweeted Sunday. "The Yankees have 72 hours to add him to the Major League roster or he becomes a free agent."

The 32-year-old veteran has a 3.29 ERA with a 36-to-18 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .213 batting average against and 1.25 WHIP in 38 1/3 innings for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Considering the Red Sox's current pitching staff limitations, it would make a lot of sense for Boston to claim Bowman off waivers, and maybe even attempt to trade for him before he gets to that point.

The Red Sox currently feature two openers on their roster due to injuries to Chris Sale, Tanner Houck and Garrett Whitlock and have had to shuffle in new arms on a regular basis to keep the team fresh. Bowman would be a legitimate upgrade over the likes of Jake Faria, Joe Jacques and Brandon Walker on the active roster and would push Justin Garza and Kaleb Ort further down the depth chart.

Bowman has plenty of big league experience, with a career 4.02 ERA, 149-to-62 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .241 batting average against and 1.26 WHIP in 181 1/3 innings across 183 games -- all in relief.

While he's far from an All-Star closer, Bowman could serve as a reliable middle-innings reliever to set up Chris Martin and Kenley Jansen. Boston would be wise to make a call for Bowman should he become available in the coming days.

More MLB: Ex-Red Sox Reliever Opts Out Of Deal; Should Boston Bolster Bullpen Depth?

Published Jul 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