Should Red Sox Sign Roberto Osuna, An Elite Closer With Troubled Past?

Osuna still is in his prime and dominating in Japan

Scott Neville | Oct 14, 2022

Should Red Sox Sign Roberto Osuna, An Elite Closer With Troubled Past? /

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Boston Red Sox

Could the Boston Red Sox add an elite closer this winter that has completely fallen off the radar?

Former Toronto Blue Jays and Houston Astros closer Roberto Osuna could make his return to Major League Baseball after a brief hiatus.

The 27-year-old was last seen pitching in the United States with the Astros in the shortened 2020 season, but only logged 4 1/3 innings before battling an elbow injury and then falling off the map.

He's since staged a comeback, starting the year in the Mexican League and then signing on with the Chiba Lotte Marines of the Nippon Professional Baseball League in June.

Osuna has been nearly unhittable with the Marines, posting a 4-1 record, 10 saves, nine holds, 0.91 ERA and a near-perfect 32-to-3 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 29 2/3 innings.

The last time he pitched a full season at the MLB level was 2019, when he featured a five-pitch mix: four-seamer, slider, changeup, cutter and sinker. In 2019 he averaged a 96.7 mph fastball with his slider, changeup and cutter all registering as elite. Given his age, it's likely that his velocity has not wavered.

It's fair to say that Osuna has overcome questions about his elbow with a fantastic showcase in Japan, but his off-the-field issue remains. The right-hander was suspended 75 games in 2018 for domestic abuse.

Despite the namesake, it doesn't appear as though Osuna will be in the running for the Roberto Clemente Award, or any other "good guy" recognition, but he can flat-out pitch.

From a pure baseball standpoint, Osuna would be a fantastic addition that would almost certainly be acquired at a discounted price. A low-risk/high-reward play Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom loves to make. Osuna logged 155 saves in 181 opportunities (86%) in his six seasons (including the 4 1/3 innings in 2020).

He's as good of a closer candidate as you can find as a proven commodity that's still in his prime.

The Red Sox front office will have to determine both the severity of the domestic violence case that ended with a plea deal, and how much they weigh production on the field versus a player's character off of it.

More MLB: Red Sox Could Target Japanese Star Koudai Senga To Bolster Ailing Rotation

Published Oct 14, 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