MLB Trade Rumors: Red Sox focused on Addison Reed

It seems as if the bat that everyone would like the Red Sox to acquire before Monday afternoon’s trade deadline will not be coming. Instead, Dave Dombrowski and company are putting their attention towards the bullpen. As is always the case this time of year, there is no shortage of relievers available. Over the last week or two, Boston has been connected to many names including Brandon Kintzler and Justin Wilson. According to Ken Rosenthal, though, their focus appears to be Addison Reed of the Mets.

This makes some sense, although I’ve made it no secret that Wilson would be my preference. That being said, I can understand the preference for Reed since the righty is going to be a free agent at the end of the year and thus should be cheaper to acquire. The Mets closer does have some limited playoff experience from the last two seasons, but he’s been inconsistent at best on the big stage.

As for how he’s done in the regular season — which is certainly a better judge of his talent — the righty has been outstanding. Last year in particular was incredibly impressive as he tossed 77 ²⁄₃ innings with a 1.97 ERA, over ten strikeouts per nine innings and fewer than two walks per nine. His strikeout rate has fallen a bit this year, though it’s still up near a batter per inning.

There are some concerns for Reed, mainly concerning the number of innings he’s tossed over the last two seasons. Additionally, he’s spent the majority of his career in the National League and his flyball tendencies could prove to be a bigger issue in the American League East. We’ll get more into those possible problems if/when a trade comes down. For now, we’ll just consider him the favorite to land in Boston’s bullpen. If he does indeed come to town, Reed will fit nicely right in front of Craig Kimbrel.