Red Sox ink former ace Dinelson Lamet to a minor-league contract
After adding veteran Kyle Barraclough on a minor league contract and ex-Royals farmhand Andrés Núñez through a trade, the Red Sox have further bolstered their minor league pitching depth, signing former top prospect Dinelson Lamet to a minor league deal. Lamet has been placed on the development list of Triple-A Worcester.
Lamet pitched for Colorado in 2023, posting a dreadful 11.57 ERA/6.57 FIP. A lack of control has hurt Lamet, as his 16.4 BB% falls in the first percentile of qualified pitchers. His Avg. EV and HardHit% land in the fifth and first percentile, respectively. While it would be fair to wonder if Lamet was being affected by the hitter-friendly environment of Coors Field, Lamet holds a 14.00 ERA on the road compared to a 9.00 ERA at home.
The Red Sox will hope for Lamet to recreate his previous success from his time with the Padres, highlighted by a masterful 2020 season in which he finished fourth in Cy Young voting. In 12 games in 2020, he posted a 2.09 ERA/2.48 FIP. His success in 2020 can be attributed to a career-low 2.61 BB/9, which has gone up every year since then.
The 30-year-old’s repertoire consists mainly of a sinker, slider, and 4-seam fastball. His slider has been his best pitch, with a 36.5 Whiff%. While opponents have hit .309 off of the pitch, the excepted number is just .185, meaning Lamet has been getting fairly unlucky when he throws his slider. His sinker has been getting hammered, with a .429 BAA (batting average against) and a .357 xBAA (expected batting average against). A drop in vertical and horizontal break has caused his sinker to regress heavily, and it will be interesting to see what Paul Abbott and the WooSox pitching development will do to try and reinvent Lamet’s fastball shape.
It’s important to remember that minor-league signings have absolutely zero risk, and if Lamet doesn’t perform well it won’t affect the big-league club. There are far worse options than a former ace who’s only 30, and Lamet will at least help stabilize a thin WooSox pitching staff. Lamet is capable of making a spot start or coming out of the bullpen, and could present himself as a depth option if another injury hits the Red Sox pitching staff.
Follow Joey on Twitter @soxfanjoey
For additional Red Sox and Major League Baseball content, follow Beyond the Monster: Boston Red Sox on Twitter @BeyondtheMnstr