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The Red Sox have yet to make a move to add to their major-league roster, but that doesn’t mean they’ve been totally inactive this winter. We know they’ve made some coaching staff decisions, and they also signed pitcher Kevin McCarthy to a minor-league deal last week. They made another minor-league addition on Wednesday as well, signing outfielder and former Padres prospect Michael Gettys to a minor-league deal. The deal is official per the team site’s transaction log.
Gettys, who just turned 25 last month, has spent his entire professional career in the Padres organization to this point, having been drafted by San Diego out of high school back in 2014 in the second round of that draft. He’s had up-and-down performances in his time in the minors, getting up to Triple-A for the first time in 2019. He spent his entire season there, though as far as I can tell he did not get to participate at the Alternate Site this past summer. Back in 2019, though, Gettys hit .256/.305/.517, but in the Pacific Coast League (which is extremely hitter-friendly) that was still a below-average line by wRC+.
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That’s not to say there’s nothing to like, because Gettys has the pedigree of a former second rounder and also possesses big-time power from the right side. In that 2019 season he hit 31 homers in 128 games. The problem is he has trouble making contact, with a strikeout rate near or above 30 percent throughout his time in the minors, while also not drawing a lot of walks. The power is great, but to carve out a role in the majors he’ll need to add another element to his offensive skillset. Defensively, Gettys has played a lot of center field in the minors but likely profiles more as a right fielder in the majors, with solid range and a big arm.
In addition to bringing Gettys into the organization, the Red Sox also brought back a minor-league free agent of their own according to the linked transaction log above, re-signing left-handed pitcher Enmanuel De Jesus. De Jesus was signed by the Red Sox out of Venezuela back in 2013 and has made it as far in the system as High-A Salem. The 23-year-old (he’ll turn 24 in a few weeks) spent all of 2019 in Salem, pitching to a 3.58 ERA over 130 2⁄3 innings with 122 strikeouts and 42 walks. There’s not a huge ceiling here, but the potential for an up-and-down depth starter certainly exists if things progress well. Expect him to start 2021 at Double-A Portland.