After an aggressive trade deadline on Monday, the Boston Red Sox had to iron out the bullpen.
Among other moves, the club acquired big left-handed reliever Erik Miller from the San Francisco Giants in exchange for infielder Marcelo Mayer. With no clear candidate to be sent down to the minors, Boston was forced to cut ties with Rule 5 pick Ryan Watson, who was designated for assignment on Tuesday to clear a spot for Miller.
The 28-year-old Watson struggled in the early going but had a long leash with his Rule 5 status preventing him from being optioned to the minor leagues. Posting a 4.91 ERA in March and a 7.07 ERA in April, he settled down into a 3.94 in May, 3.00 in June, and 3.60 in July as the club's low-leverage innings eater.
The right-hander was selected by the Athletics in December as a Rule 5 pick from the Giants and then flipped to the Red Sox for second baseman Justin Riemer and cash.
Watson's release now makes him available to all other teams as a waiver pick up. According to Red Sox Payroll, Watson has a slim chance of returning to Triple-A for Boston if he can clear waivers and is turned away by San Francisco who can take him back for just $50k.
Boston's bullpen has been excellent all season, but especially in recent weeks. Adding Miller to a unit that already features high-leverage options like Aroldis Chapman, Garrett Whitlock, Justin Slaten, and Tyron Guerrero raises both the ceiling and the floor of the group.
Miller, 28, has impressed in his third season with the Giants, posting a 2.76 ERA through 38 appearances with 45 strikeouts. He comes with a very high walk-rate, but has elite swing-and-miss stuff that the Red Sox view as a huge upgrade over Watson.
