Despite naming Nathan Eovaldi the closer for the time being, the Boston Red Sox reportedly are showing “active interest” in adding another late-inning arm to the equation.
One of the arms the Red Sox have been linked to is San Diego Padres closer Kirby Yates.
But reeling in the right-handed reliever may not be so easy for anyone, according to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal.
“To trade closer Kirby Yates, the Padres likely would require a package along the lines of what the Yankees received for Aroldis Chapman and Andrew Miller in 2016,” Rosenthal reported. “Such a demand would not be unjustified considering Yates’ performance since the start of ’18.
“Chapman was a potential free agent when he brought the Yankees a package headed by infielder Gleyber Torres. Miller had two additional years remaining when he yielded a return that included outfielder Clint Frazier and left-hander Justus Sheffield, whom the Yankees later traded to the Mariners for lefty James Paxton.”
Yates has had a phenomenal two-season stretch so far for San Diego, carrying a 1.70 ERA over his last 107 innings pitched and currently leads Major League Baseball with 31 saves. He also is under team control through next season. So it’s not totally unreasonable to see why the Padres have set the bar so high.
