Wednesday afternoon came with another erasure from the Chaim Bloom era, as the Seattle Mariners officially claimed right-handed reliever Mauricio Llovera off waivers from the Boston Red Sox.
The M’s claim on Llovera comes a week after the Sox designated him for assignment.
Sep 19, 2023; Arlington, Texas, USA; Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Mauricio Llovera (68) comes in to pitch during the sixth inning against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field. (Andrew Dieb/USA TODAY Sports)
But, as noted, Llovera’s connection to the Red Sox came via the previous regime, as it was Bloom who brought Llovera to Boston from San Francisco last July in one of his final moves on the job. Llovera had appeared in five games with the Giants in 2023 prior to his move to the Red Sox, and posted a 1.69 ERA and had strong results with his fastball, prior to his move to the Red Sox.
Overall, the Venezuelan-born Llovera has appeared in 54 MLB games between the Phillies, Giants, and Red Sox since the 2020 season.
The 27-year-old’s 25-game run with the Red Sox ultimate cost the Red Sox minor-league pitcher Marques Johnson, who was shipped to San Fran in the July 27 trade.
Johnson, who was an 11th-round pick of the Sox in 2022, posted a 6.55 ERA in 28 games with Single-A Salem during his time with the Sox farm system, but had a 0.98 ERA with 20 strikeouts in 18.1 innings upon his move to Single-A San Jose in the Giants pipeline.
Aug 24, 2023; Houston, Texas, USA; Red Sox catcher Connor Wong (12) congratulates Red Sox relief pitcher Mauricio Llovera (68) following the final out against the Astros at Minute Maid Park. (Erik Williams/USA TODAY Sports)
At the end of the day, Llovera’s departure from the Red Sox may have very little to do with the fact that he was one of Bloom’s guys and everything to do with the fact that the Red Sox had to make a move on their 40-man roster following their recent additions.
The Red Sox signed starter Lucas Giolito, and while their trade to send Chris Sale to the Braves by all means made that a one-for-one swap from a rotation standpoint, Boston’s addition of Vaughn Grissom in the Sale trade and waiver claim of the Royals’ Max Castillo put the Red Sox over the 40-man limit.
