Well, they waited until just about the last possible moment, but the Red Sox further strengthened a pitching staff that needs help with long relief and possibly early-season spot starts by making a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday. The Red Sox are adding veteran Japanese pitcher Naoyuki Uwasawa, who has played for nine years with the Nippon Ham Fighters in Japan's major leagues.
The deal was first reported by ESPN’s Jeff Passan, who posted on Twitter/X: “The Boston Red Sox are acquiring right-hander Naoyuki Uwasawa in a trade with Tampa Bay, sources tell ESPN. Uwasawa, 30, had signed a minor league deal with the Rays and wasn't going to make the team. Boston, looking for pitching, adds the veteran who pitched nine years in Japan.”
There might be some concern about adding a pitcher who didn't make the cut for the Rays this spring, and a look at Uwasawa’s numbers raises some worries. He made four appearances, went 0-1 with a 13.03 ERA this spring, pitching 9.2 innings and allowing nine earned runs. He had a WHIP of 2.38.
Naoyuki Uwasawa: A Pitcher with Control
Uwasawa was not immediately placed on the 40-man roster and could either be put on the 26-man active roster or moved down to Triple-A Worcester. He has been a starter for most of his career and will likely continue in that role in the minors with the chance to move up when the Red Sox have a start open.
Uwasawa was not a top-tier prospect this season, nowhere near the talent level of $325 million Japanese pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamato of the Dodgers. In his career in Japan, Uwasawa went 78-80 with a 3.42 ERA, and a 1.216 WHIP. He struck out 1,094 batters in 1,367.1 innings.
Sports Info Solutions had a scouting report on Uwasawa this offseason before he joined the Rays: “As a right-hander, Uwasawa consistently throws strikes with his various pitches and has been a reliable innings eater since 2020. Since returning from a shortened 2019 season due to injury, he has thrown at least 152 innings in the past three seasons.
“He doesn’t have the most powerful pitches, but he threw strikes at a 66% rate in 2023; all his pitches can be thrown in and out of the zone. With slightly above-average command, he can change speeds and mixes his pitches well.
“He has some promising pitch shapes, but teams will invest in his control and hopefully improved command to take up innings.”
Red Sox Trade Strengthens Starting Rotation
The Red Sox starting rotation is set for Opening Day on Thursday in Seattle, with Brayan Bello, Nick Pivetta, and Kutter Crawford in the top three spots. Garrett Whitlock and Tanner Houck will start the year as the 4th and 5th pitchers.
The Red Sox recently added veteran pitcher Chase Anderson this week and he is expected to be a factor when the team needs a long reliever or spot starter. The Red Sox lost their expected ace Lucas Giolito to elbow surgery this spring and have two relievers, Liam Hendriks and Chris Murphy, likely to end up on the injured list.
As for paying Uwasawa, he won’t cost much on the Red Sox's budget, but the team has some incentive to at least start him off in the minors. MLB.com’s Adam Berry explained the details of his contract earlier during the offseason:
“If Uwasawa is included in the 40-man roster, his split contract will require him to earn $2.5 million while in the Major Leagues and $225,000 while in the Minor Leagues, as per a source.
“He might make as much as $3.5 million, with the extra $1 million achievable through bonuses for performance based on innings pitched in the Major Leagues. He would be paid $100,000 for completing 70 innings for the Rays and the same amount for every 10 innings additionally, up to a maximum of $1 million for 160 innings.”
