Okay, so far the offseason has been extremely boring. NO big names have been traded. But, some minor moves have been made, and they could make a big difference this season. First, the Red Sox' aquisition of Andrew Miller could turn out to be an outstanding move. His career has been waaaaay overshadowed by injuries. His career in Boston didn't start in the MLB. He was here, pitching in the Cape Cod league. You may have heard of him for he has a milestone that may never be repeated. During a game that didn't count (it was postponed due to fog), he struck out the first 12 batters in a game. 12, simply incredible. Andrew Miller is all of 25 years old. He is with his third organization after being traded by the Marlins to the Red Sox for Dustin Richardson, three years after being a key figure in the deal Florida made with Detroit for Miguel Cabrera. He will be reunited with his former roommate Bard, who can sympathize with the horrors Miller dealt with in 2010, finishing the season 3-14 with a 6.13 ERA between Jupiter of the Florida State League, Jacksonville and Florida, with 157 hits and a 101-117 walk-to-strikeout ratio in 133 2/3 innings. In the season after both Miller and Bard were selected in the first round of the 2006 Draft, Bard walked 78 and allowed 59 earned runs in 75 innings between Lancaster of the California League and Greenville of the South Atlantic League. He will soon go to Boston to talk with the Red Sox staff, from Tewksbury to pitching coach Curt Young and probably do some throwing. He knows they acquired him to start over in the bullpen and try that route, just letting it fly and seeing if it comes back. I think the Sox will get something out of him, despite his abysmal stats last year. He will be a solid arm for the bullpen. Or, they could have him make a start to let Beckett or any other starter have a rest. Overall, I think he will be a solid pickup.
Another small aquisition that may pay off is the aquisition of Taylor Bucholz (distantly related to Clay Bucholz). They claimed him off waivers from the Blue Jays. Taylor Buchholz went 1-0 with a 3.75 ERA in nine relief outings between the Jays and Rockies in 2010. He pitched in 22 Minor League rehab games in the Rockies' farm system, going 1-1 with a 5.06 ERA. Buchholz missed the entire 2009 season following Tommy John surgery. Buchholz is 19-21 with a 4.39 ERA in 135 Major League appearances, 27 of which have been starts. Boston's rotation has already six players, so Buchholz's best chance of making the squad in Spring Training would be as a reliever. Buchholz broke in to the Majors with the Astros in 2006 and pitched for the Rockies from 2007-10, before a brief stint in Toronto at the end of last season.
Some small prospect aquisitions are the little things that may help the most. In preparation for the Rule 5 Draft on Dec. 9, the Red Sox added three players to their 40-man roster on Friday. The group is headlined by catching prospect Luis Exposito and also includes righty Stolmy and infielder Oscar Tejeda.
Players who signed when they were 19 or older (e.g. college draftees) four years ago, or players who signed at 18 and younger (international signees or high school draftees) five years ago, are all eligible for the Rule 5 Draft if they're not placed on 40-man rosters.
We will see what happens following the next few weeks. Some big names like Carl Crawford, Adrian Beltre, Victor Martinez, Cliff Lee, and Adrian Gonzalez could show up!
stats and news from redsox.com
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