Red Sox trade for another bullpen piece in deal with Angels
As the final minutes before the 2024 trade deadline ticked away, the Boston Red Sox traded for bullpen help they desperately needed.
The Red Sox have acquired veteran reliever Luis García from the Los Angeles Angels, first reported by MLB insider Jon Heyman. He is a 37-year-old impending free agent. The Angels received four Red Sox Triple-A prospects in the deal — Ryan Zeferjahn, Matthew Lugo, Yeferson Vargas and Niko Kavadas
García posted a 3.71 ERA with 40 strikeouts and 14 walks over 43.2 innings. He converted four saves on six opportunities.
García is a righty, so the Red Sox weren’t able to secure the left-handed pitching help they sought before the deadline. However, García is trending in the right direction in his recent appearances and was a fine last-minute grab for Boston. He’s clocked a 2.76 ERA in his last 15 appearances, and a 1.17 ERA in his seven most recent outings.
Red Sox acquire veteran right-handed reliever Luis García from the Angels
Boston added another righty reliever hours before its trade for García. He and Lucas Sims, a former Cincinnati Red, bring experienced depth to the back end of the Sox’s bullpen. Many Red Sox relievers are either young, first-year big leaguers, or both, and the two veteran righties could help them learn in real-time, along with Chris Martin and Kenley Jansen.
García is already well acquainted with Red Sox pitching coach Andrew Bailey. He pitched for the Angels in 2019 while Bailey was the bullpen coach. Hopefully, the two can work together to continue García’s recent positive trend.
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After losing Shohei Ohtani this past offseason and watching Mike Trout miss more than half the season with a knee injury, the Angels’ 2024 hopes were dashed almost as soon as the season began. But not cashing in on some of the top trade pieces in a seller’s market is a crucial mistake by Minasian, and frankly, one that could see him on the unemployment line after the season.
The Angels will now sell the hope that with Anderson, Trout, Rengifo, and Ward returning in 2025, LA has a chance to contend in the AL West. But that’s just not true. The Houston Astros are still loaded (despite the fact they overpaid for Yusei Kikuchi at the deadline), the Texas Rangers are trying to run it back after a number of their stars were injured to start the season, and the Seattle Mariners have the best pitching staff in the major leagues.
Unfortunately, the future is not bright in Anaheim, and the Angels’ sluggish approach at the deadline showed that there was no sense of urgency on the part of Minasian and the front office. This was a giant missed opportunity, and one that will only prolong the Halos’ rebuild.
