The Boston Red Sox did a little work in the margins Wednesday at the Major League Baseball general managers meetings, trading right-handed pitcher Easton McGee to the Seattle Mariners for cash considerations.
The trade, while certainly a minor move amid the hustle and bustle of the MLB GM meetings in Las Vegas, opened a spot on the Red Sox’s 40-man roster, which now includes 32 players as Boston embarks upon a very important offseason.
McGee, claimed off waivers from the Tampa Bay Rays on Oct. 5, did not pitch in a game for the Red Sox. The 24-year-old made his major league debut in 2022, though, tossing three innings for Tampa Bay against the eventual World Series champion Houston Astros on Oct. 2.
McGee, a fourth-round pick in 2016, spent most of the season at Triple-A Durham, where he went 6-9 with a 5.43 ERA, a 1.32 WHIP and 6.9 strikeouts per nine innings in 27 appearances (22 starts) spanning 107 2/3 frames.
The Red Sox have a lot on their plate this winter, especially with Xander Bogaerts’ future unclear after the All-Star shortstop opted out of his contract to test free agency. But improving the pitching staff — both the rotation and the bullpen — figures to be on Boston’s to-do list.
