Southpaw Taylor Rogers is another option for Chaim Bloom as he rebuilds the Red Sox bullpen
It’s no surprise that the Red Sox are pursuing bullpen help this offseason. Both Joely Rodriguez and Chris Martin have been added to a bullpen that struggled mightily last season. Another possible addition could be left-hander Taylor Rogers.
The Colorado native split time between the Padres and the Brewers in 2022. After posting a 4.35 ERA with 28 saves in 45 games with the Padres, he was traded to the Brewers for Josh Hader.
Rogers struggled with the Brewers, posting a 5.48 ERA and only converting three saves.
On the season, the southpaw made 66 appearances and pitched 64.1 innings. He allowed 57 hits, 34 earned runs, 19 walks, and struck out 84 batters and posted 4.76 ERA.
Rogers had rough stretches this season with the Padres. He gave up 11 runs in an 11-game stretch. While with the Brewers he allowed six homers in 24 games, nearly matching his single-season career high of eight homers back in 2019.
If Rogers can keep his pitches in the ballpark and regain previous form from his time with the Twins, he would be a perfect left-handed option for the bullpen. He’ll need to find a cure for his dinger-itis he experienced all last season.
Rogers features a three-pitch mix, four-seam fastball, slider and a sinker. He primarily uses only his slider and sinker. Last season he threw his slider 619 times and opponents only hit .191 against it. His sinker on the other hand, which was his second go-to pitch, Rogers threw that 464 times and opponents hit .306 off it.
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The veteran lefty was poised for a bigger deal this winter but his struggles with in the Cream City will likely bring his value down.
If the Red Sox were to add Rogers he would bring closer experience to Alex Cora’s bullpen. Based off his results last season, it’s not a guarantee he’d be the ninth inning option but could compete in Spring Training.
Rogers will turn 32 in mid-December and is one of the top relievers on the market remaining. The Athletic suggested that he would land a three-year deal on the open market.
FanGraphs Ben Clemens projects the 6-foot-3 Rogers to secure a three-year, $30 million deal. The Median Crowdsource projected a deal to be at 2 years, $15 million and Kiley McDaniel thinks the southpaw will land a two-year, $14 million deal.
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Due to relievers being so volatile from year to year, it’s unlikely Chaim Bloom goes three years for Rogers. Martin recently agreed to a two-year deal and last season veteran Jake Diekman only signed a two-year deal.
At the GM Meetings, Red Sox general manager Brian O’Halloran emphasized the importance of building a solid bullpen.
We want to add. We know we need to improve,” O’Halloran said. “Who ends up being the closer, it’s way too early to say now, whether that’s someone who is here now or whether that’s someone we acquire. But we’re looking to build a championship-caliber bullpen.
“With a bullpen, they can come from anywhere and we’d like to build a great bullpen however it comes together,” O’Halloran said. “I’m sure it’ll ultimately be a diverse group that comes from different categories and different types of acquisitions.”
Adding Rogers to the mix with Rodriguez and Martin would be a significant improvement over last season. With John Schreiber, Tanner Houck and Matt Barnes already there, the bones of a good bullpen could be in place for 2023.
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