Red Sox sign veteran former All-Star reliever
Just two days after trading away reliever John Schreiber, the Boston Red Sox are signing a possible replacement for down the road.
As first reported by Chris Cotillo and Sean McAdam of MassLive, the Red Sox are adding veteran right-handed pitcher Liam Hendriks. He won’t be available right away, though. Hendriks is coming off Tommy John surgery. Per Cotillo, Hendriks is “aiming to return to action around the trade deadline”.
MORE: Red Sox add lefty to pitching depth chart
According to ESPN’s Buster Olney, Hendriks is signing for two years and $10 million guaranteed, plus “additional performance bonuses.” Mark Feinsand added that there’s a mutual option for 2026. So, there’s the potential for value from Hendriks beyond just half of 2024.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JUNE 08: Liam Hendriks #31 of the Chicago White Sox looks on from the dugout before game one of a double header against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on June 8, 2023 in Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
Hendriks, 35, spent the past three seasons with the Chicago White Sox. From 2019-22, between the White Sox and A’s, Hendriks posted a 2.26 ERA with 359 strikeouts in 239 innings, making three All-Star appearances in four seasons. In 2021, he led the American League with 39 saves. Off the field, he recently survived a battle with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
If Hendriks can regain even some of that All-Star form post-Tommy John surgery, then the Red Sox may have made a shrewd signing. That’s a big if, though. And considering he won’t be able to pitch until late July at the earliest, Hendriks doesn’t exactly take away the sting of trading Schreiber for a minor-league prospect.
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Red Sox make trade off MLB roster
CLEVELAND, OH – JUNE 25: John Schreiber #46 of the Boston Red Sox celebrates striking out Amed Rosario of the Cleveland Guardians during the seventh inning at Progressive Field on June 25, 2022 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Nick Cammett/Getty Images)
But Schreiber was nails for the Sox in 2022, with a 4-4 record, eight saves, and 22 holds over 65 innings of work. Schreiber also struck out 74 batters and held opponents to a .195 batting average during that 2022 run.
It’s also worth noting that the Red Sox were slated to have another four years of team control over the 6-foot-2, soon-to-be 30-year-old Schreiber, who had come to terms on a contract for 2024 at just over $1 million last month.
But perhaps the Red Sox felt that it was unlikely that Schreiber was going to return to those 2022 numbers after that injury-derailed 2023 campaign, and that it ultimately made the most sense to trade Schreiber while they still could.
Jun 22, 2022; Omaha, NE, USA; Oklahoma Sooners starting pitcher David Sandlin (28) pitches against the Texas A&M Aggies during the seventh inning at Charles Schwab Field. (Dylan Widger/USA TODAY Sports)
Sandlin, meanwhile, comes to the Red Sox after spending the last two seasons in the Royals’ minor league ranks.
An 11th-round pick of Kansas City back in 2022, Sandlin posted a 4-1 record with a 3.38 ERA and 1.19 WHIP in 12 starts for Single-A Columbia. The 6-foot-4 righty also sat down 79 batters by way of the strikeout, and surrendered 57 hits and eight home runs over 58.2-inning sample for the Fireflies.
Sandlin also made made two appearances for High-A Quad Cities, but was sidelined in early July with an oblique injury and did not return to the mound before the end of the season.
Jun 22, 2022; Omaha, NE, USA; Oklahoma Sooners starting pitcher David Sandlin (28) throws in the fourth inning against the Texas A&M Aggies at Charles Schwab Field. (Steven Branscombe/USA TODAY Sports)
The view on Sandlin depends on who you trust and who you ask.
The MLB Pipeline had him ranked as KC’s 19th-best prospect ahead of Saturday’s trade, while The Athletic had him ranked as the seventh-best prospect in the Royal pipeline.
The 23-year-old Sandlin, who projects as a starter barring some sort of unforeseen role change upon his move from the Royals to the Red Sox, throws a fastball that can hit up to 98 miles per hour, and works with a slider, changeup, and curveball in his pitch arsenal.
“It was a combination of raw stuff, projection and the chance to maybe tweak the usage a little bit and improve performance,” Breslow told reporters down in Ft. Myers when asked about the appeal of Sandlin.
