Red Sox add another lefty to pitching depth chart
With pitchers and catching set to report to Fort Myers this week, the Boston Red Sox have apparently made yet another depth move in the bullpen, this time with the signing of veteran journeyman Lucas Luetge.
Word of Luetge’s move to the Red Sox organization was announced by Luetge himself via Instagram.
A 6-foot-4 lefty, Luetge is coming off a 2023 season in the Braves organization, including 12-game run on Atlanta’s roster.
It was a year to forget at the MLB level for the 36-year-old Luetge, really, as he surrendered 11 runs on 17 hits over 13.2 innings of work for the Braves. That nightmarish run saw Luetge hammered for a 7.24 ERA, while batters also posted a .304 average against the Texas-born southpaw.
With Triple-A Gwinnett for the majority of the season, Luetge posted a 2-1 record with a save and two holds, along with a 3.75 ERA and 1.46 WHIP, in 24 innings over 21 appearances.
But prior to his disastrous run with the Braves, Luetge was a solid weapon for the Yankees in 2021 and 2022, with an 8-6 record, along with nine holds and a 2.71 ERA, in 107 games over that two-season run with New York. Luetge’s New York run featured career-highs across the board, and saw him strikeout 25 percent of the total batters he faced.
While Luetge didn’t specify the nature of his contract with Boston, it seems like Luetge is at the very best invited to Boston’s spring training camp with a chance to compete for a spot in the MLB bullpen. The ‘advantage’ there is that Alex Cora’s bullpen is seemingly short on lefty options, with Brennan Bernardino considered the only lock back there.
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Mar 30, 2023; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Michael Fulmer (32) celebrates with catcher Yan Gomes (15) team’s win against the Milwaukee Brewers at Wrigley Field. (Kamil Krzaczynski/USA TODAY Sports)
In Chicago, Fulmer operated with a repertoire that includes five pitchers, with a sweeper and four-seam at the top of his arsenal, along with a cutter, sinking, and changeup. Per BaseballSavant.com, Fulmer’s average exit velocity (86.4) ranked in the top eight percent of the league in 2023, while his HardHit% (30.3) was top five in the MLB.
Batters also had a tremendously difficult time when it came to hitting Fulmer’s sweeper, with opponents batting just .183 against that pitch, and with an expected batting average of .156.
Fulmer’s fastball and sinker still has some juice, too, with each pitch checking in at over 94 miles per hour on average, and with that sinker nearly hitting 95 miles per hour.
Aug 12, 2023; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Michael Fulmer (32) looks on against the Toronto Blue Jays during the sixth inning at Rogers Centre. (Kevin Sousa/USA TODAY Sports)
For the Red Sox, this is essentially Breslow’s play at replicating Chaim Bloom’s James Paxton move, which ultimately paid off for the club in 2023 when Paxton finally got healthy and proved to be a reliable option in Boston’s rotation. And when they needed it, really, amid injuries and inconsistencies in the rotation.
Fulmer has some notable history, too, as he was the American League Rookie of the Year with the Tigers in 2016, and earned a trip to the All-Star Game in 2017. Those accolades may have come prior to Fulmer’s transition from a starter to a reliever, but the talent in the arm is clearly there.
And the hope for the Red Sox is that a lost 2024 campaign will lead to a steal in 2025.
