Five teams were still in on Mets reliever Addison Reed as of Sunday, but the Red Sox were the ones to land him. According to Yahoo’s Tim Brown, Boston acquired Reed from the Mets in exchange for three minor league players. Alex Speier would later confirm these players as relievers Jamie Callahan, Gerson Bautista, and Stephen Nogosek.
Red Sox acquire Addison Reed from Mets for 3 relief prospects
The Red Sox got the reliever they were hoping they had already added this offseason.
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The Red Sox bullpen isn’t bad, but it’s also not what it was drawn up to be. This past offseason, the Sox traded Travis Shaw and prospect Mauricio Dubon to the Brewers for Tyler Thornburg and his years of remaining team control, but he’s out for 2017 after undergoing thoracic outlet surgery. Carson Smith, acquired the offseason before from the Mariners, has yet to pitch for Boston in 2017 while he recovers from Tommy John surgery. That’s where Reed is supposed to help out, as his presence means fewer high-leverage innings with Matt Barnes in them, innings Barnes was never supposed to have in the first place.
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Reed has a 2.57 ERA with eight times as many strikeouts as walks in 2017 and an overall 2.09 ERA during his three seasons with the Mets. The former closer had a career revival in the move to setup work but has logged 19 saves for the Mets with Jeurys Familia out due to suspension and injury. With the Sox, Reed will slot in as a setup man behind closer Craig Kimbrel, a role in which Joe Kelly (currently on the DL) has spent his 2017.
Reed will be a free agent following 2017, so the Mets couldn’t land a major package for him, but Callahan is at least intriguing. The 2012 second-round pick was once the youngest pitcher in the New York-Penn League, and is now a 22-year-old reliever in Triple-A after failing as a starter in the lower levels of Boston’s system. Nogosek was a college closer who could see a fast path to the majors, so there is potential there as well. But it seems like the Red Sox mostly pushed off 40-man decisions they needed to make for Rule 5-eligible players to the Mets.
That’s not necessarily a bad thing for either side, given the Mets’ struggles in 2017 and Boston’s current contention for a postseason spot. You don’t have to squint to see this deal working out for both sides in the end.
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