Perhaps not surprisingly, the Red Sox' first foray into the post-lockout free agent market did not exactly signify a big splash.
According to several reports, the Red Sox are in agreement on a one-year deal for lefty reliever Matt Strahm, 30. Terms of the deal were not immediately known though MLB Network's Jon Heyman reported the deal is for $3 million, pending a physical.
Strahm missed most of 2021 with a knee injury that required surgery. He returned to the San Diego Padres in August, only to be forced back onto the IL with swelling in the knee.
Drafted by the Kansas City Royals in 2012, Strahm spent two seasons with the Royals before being dealt to the Padres in the middle of the 2017 season.
He's spent time both as a starter (25 starts), but has mostly pitched in relief, especially since 2019. His best season came in 2020 when he made 19 bullpen appearances and finished with a 2.61 ERA. From 2018 through 2020, he compiled a 3.66 ERA over 196.2 innings. He's averaged 9.5 strikeouts per nine innings over his career.
BSJ ANALYSIS
Strahm is hardly a premier signing, but he could be a useful one.
When chief baseball office Chaim Bloom last addressed his team's off-season needs, the the minutes leading up to the Dec. 2 lockout, he identified the bullpen as an area he'd be looking to upgrade.
The Red Sox have a number of established relievers returning -- including Matt Barnes, Ryan Brasier and Hirokazu Sawamura -- but need more certainty for high-leverage spots.
Strahm joins a handful of lefties already on the 40-man roster, including Josh Taylor, Austin Davis and Darwinzon Hernandez.
Taylor began the year well, and had a long scoreless streak before tiring some in the final month of the season. Davis, acquired in a minor deal at the deadline from Pittsburgh for Michael Chavis, was effective in shorter outings. Hernandez has a wipeout slider and a mid-90s fastball, but has been challenged to throw strikes more consistently. He's experimented with a lower arm slot this winter.
Additionally, the Red Sox could see their bullpen strengthened if they could utilize either Tanner Houck or Garrett Whitlock -- or both -- in relief roles. Each is capable of multi-inning stints to help bridge games from the starter to back-end bullpen options -- that is, if they're not needed to fortify the Boston rotation.