The Boston Red Sox made another move to bolster their ailing bullpen, trading relief pitcher Pat Light to the Minnesota Twins on Monday in return for left-handed reliever Fernando Abad.
Abad, a 30-year-old reliever from the Dominican Republic, has a 2.65 ERA in 39 appearances this season for the Twins, mostly as a setup man. While Abad has struggled a bit recently, the seven-year veteran is very effective against left-handed hitters, holding them this season to a .458 OPS that’s fifth-lowest in the American League among relievers who have faced at least 50 lefties.
Boston could use plenty of bullpen help, as both Craig Kimbrel and Koji Uehara are on the disabled list with injuries. Recently acquired reliever Brad Ziegler currently is serving as the Red Sox’s closer, but relief pitching has been an area of weakness for the team of late, and a left-handed reliever like Abad should help that cause.
The Red Sox part with their 2012 first-round draft pick (37th overall) in Light, who has shown promise at the minor league level but gave up multiple runs in both of his big league outings for Boston this season.
With Kimbrel expected to be back soon but Uehara likely out for the considerable future, Abad could slot in as a sixth- or seventh-inning reliever behind Ziegler in the eighth and Kimbrel in the ninth once the All-Star closer returns to action.
Abad, who signed a one-year deal with Minnesota before the season, will be under the Red Sox’s control for the next two seasons and eligible for arbitration in 2017. His signing doesn’t exactly solve all of Boston’s problems, but he’s still a nice depth add, considering the relatively low cost.
Thumbnail photo via Patrick Gorski/USA TODAY Sports Images
