There’s a trend developing in the Boston Red Sox’s offseason attack.
The Red Sox reportedly have come to terms with free agent reliever Zach Putnam on a minor league deal, according to multiple reports. MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo was the first to report the agreement Wednesday.
Putnam is the latest big leaguer to agree to terms with the club, joining the reported likes of outfielder Gorkys Hernandez and pitcher Erasmo Ramirez.
Putnam, 31, is an intriguing piece who could land in Boston’s bullpen. The right-hander missed the entire 2018 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery. He’s had an up-down-career thus far, but a three-year stretch between 2014 and 2016 showed how effective he can be.
Over the course of those three seasons, Putnam appeared in 123 games (all out of the bullpen), posting a 2.82 ERA with 140 strikeouts in 130 2/3 innings pitched with the Chicago White Sox. How he responds to the Tommy John surgery likely will go a long way in establishing how effective he can be in Boston.
Putnam offers a three-pitch mix, leaning on a four-seam fastball, a cutter and a splitter. His fastball typically sits in the low 90s, as does his cutter, and the cutter saw a pretty noticeable increase in velocity after he started throwing the pitch in 2014.
