Red Sox Notebook: Red Sox sign free agent RHP Matt Andriese; Zack Scott to Mets

Continuing their offseason pattern to date, the Red Sox continued to emphasize quantity over quality in their efforts to improve their pitching staff. The team announced it had signed free agent righty Matt Andriese to a one-year deal with a club option for 2022.

The 2021 base salary is $1.85 million, with an option worth $3.5 million for 2022 that included a $250,000 buyout, making the deal a $2.1 million guarantee for Andriese, 31.

Last season, with the Los Angeles Angels, Andriese pitched mostly in relief, going 2-4 with a 4.50 ERA over 16 appearances, all but one in relief. He did post a career- best WHIP of 1.00.

Earlier in his career, Andriese was known more as a starter, including his time with Tampa Bay (2015-2018), where he pitched for Chaim Bloom. More recently, he's been more of a swingman with both Arizona (2018-2019) and Los Angeles (2020), but has mostly pitched long relief.

BSJ ANALYSIS



Andriese said he signed with the intention of pitching both as a starter and reliever.

"I've had a lot of flexibility over my career,'' he said. "I've started lots of games and come out of the bullpen more recently. But I'm going to be given the opportunity to start. The Red Sox are obviously going to try to get more starters, too. But I think (in terms of) my flexibility and my role, I'm going to compete for a starting spot but being in the bullpen is also an option to help the team as well.''

In relief, Andriese has mostly utilized his fastball and changeup, his two best pitches. But when he starts and needs a deeper repertoire to face a lineup several times, he can expand and go with his curveball and cutter.

"Mixing and matching better,'' he said, "I'll be able to go deeper into games and throw more innings. Every spring training, I build up to five or six innings. I think my flexibility allows teams to kind of mix and match roles.''

Having available depth options for a rotation has always been important, but it will take on added significance in 2021 with pitchers having to go from the 60-game season in 2020 to what's expected to be a longer -- if not a full 162-game season -- in 2021.

Moreover, two key starters in the Red Sox' rotation -- Eduardo Rodriguez and Chris Sale -- missed all of last year and their workload will necessarily be limited.

"Especially with the uncertainty of when we're going to get starters,'' said Andriese, "(having depth) is always going to be in your best interest. Having guys like myself with the flexibility to do multiple roles (is important).''

Andriese joins Rule 5 draft pick Garrett Whitlock, and holdovers Chris Mazza, Nick Pivetta and Austin Brice as candidates to work both in relief and, when called upon, the rotation.

________________

When the New York Mets chose Jared Porter as their general manager less than two weeks ago, it appeared as the Red Sox caught a break, since Porter's hiring meant the Sox would not lose Zack Scott, the other finalist for the Mets' position.

Or so it seemed.

The Mets announced Wednesday that Scott was joining New York as Senior Vice President/Assistant General Manager. Scott's title may not suggest anything beyond a lateral move for him -- he was assistant GM with the Sox -- but a source indicated that the Sox did not want to block Scott from a job he wanted.

Scott had spent the previous 17 seasons as part of Boston's front office, in a variety of roles and responsibilities. Beyond title, Scott was seen as the head of the Sox' analytics efforts and widely regarded as one of the brightest analytics-minded executives in the game.

Porter, who moved from intern to Red Sox pro scouting director before leaving to join Theo Epstein in Chicago and later moved on to work under Mike Hazen in Arizona, noted that he had previously worked with Scott for a period of 10 years in Boston,  and said Scott was "well rounded in all areas of baseball operations and will promote synergy and collaboration among all of our departments with an emphasis on research and development.''

While with the Red Sox, Scott was credited with rebuilding the team's analytic department after it had fallen behind within in the industry. Dave Dombrowski, hired by the Phillies last week, publicly saluted Scott's work in Boston.