The Red Sox may be close to adding another late-inning reliever.
Boston and Pittsburgh are nearing a trade that would send Pirates closer Joel Hanrahan to the Sox, ESPNBoston.com reported on Saturday.
Andrew Bailey is the Red Sox's presumptive closer, although the acquisition of Hanrahan, 31, could serve to create competition, if not insurance.
CBS Sports reported that Sox shortstop Jose Iglesias, who's ticketed for Triple-A once Stephen Drew's contract is finalized, is not a part of the expected multi-player package.
Hanrahan had a 2.72 ERA in 2012 and a 1.83 ERA the year before -- both times earning All-Star selections -- and has tallied 76 saves since 2011. He has averaged 9.9 strikeouts per nine innings for his career. A right-hander from Iowa, Hanrahan has spent all of his six Major League seasons in the National League, between the Nationals and Pirates.
Bailey said at the start of December that he was approaching Spring Training as though the closing job were his.
"I think I have to," Bailey said. "Right now, I'd think I'm the only guy in that role. I feel, like I said, they traded for me for a reason. Last year was very frustrating on a lot of accounts and even when I was healthy, I didn't do my job to my fullest expectations or the organization's expectations. I'm taking that into my offseason workout, and knowing that I got to hammer down games for this organization and this team, and we got to get to the playoffs."
No comments:
Post a Comment