Report: Red Sox to sign left-hander Jake Diekman to multi-year deal
The Boston Red Sox are in an agreement to sign left-handed reliever Jake Diekman on a multi-year deal, per MassLive’s Chris Cotillo and iTalkStudiosYT. The deal is believed to be a two-year pact, however the financials aren’t known yet.
Last season, Diekman posted a 3.86 ERA with a 1.34 WHIP in 67 relief appearances for Oakland. The veteran southpaw has a career 3.73 ERA in 529 major league outings.
The addition of Diekman is the second left-handed reliever the Red Sox signed on Sunday. The club has also agreed to terms on a one-year deal with Matt Strahm.
Boston has prioritized adding bullpen help now that the lockout is over. Manager Alex Cora spoke with the media at JetBlue Park earlier on Sunday about the clubs needs.
“We all know what we need,” Cora said. “I think the whole industry knows where we’re at. We’re just trying to get better. We’ve got some interesting guys that are here, non-roster invitees that provide us depth in the infield. And we’ve got some interesting guys, too, that can play multiple positions. And we like versatility. But we’re still working. The whole group up there (front office), they’ve been working for the last two days and we know we can improve in the upcoming days.”
The 35-year-old was one of the top bullpen arms available in the free agent market. Diekman will bring swing and miss stuff to the Red Sox bullpen. With the addition of Diekman and Strahm gives Cora two other left-handed options for his bullpen. They will join Josh Taylor, Darwinzon Hernandez and Austin Davis as options for the 2022 season.
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