Red Sox Sign Hirokazu Sawamura... I think?

Reports say the deal is done, also that it is close, also probably other things

Sometimes it’s hard to know exactly what’s going on. Perhaps it’s complicated or perhaps it’s not and my brain is turning to mush, or perhaps… wait, there was another reason… darn it! Stupid mush brain. The point, I think, is the Red Sox signed a reliever from Japan. His name is Hirokazu Sawamura and of that much we can be sure. After his name, things get a but murky.

It’s been reported that Sawamura has signed a two year, major league deal, for $2.4 million with the Red Sox. That’s $1.2 million a year for those of you who don’t like to do simple math (I feel you people). In the scope of things, that is piddle-puddles for the Red Sox, especially if Sawamura turns out to be good, or even not bad. So is he good? Or at least not bad? I’m going to be honest: I have no idea.

Here, you can scout along with me:

There. We are both Sawamura experts now!

So he looks pretty good, but it’s a highlight video so he’d better look good. He’s at least got good stuff in the video. His fastball is in the mid-90s (154 km/hr is 95 mph) and his split is pretty fast as well, clocking in at 147 km/hr or 91 mph. You can see a good example of the split at the 36 second mark of the video. The pitch dives down and the batter swings over the top of it for a strike. A good splitter has that diving action and is difficult to pick up out of the hand, meaning it fools the batter who isn’t expecting the drop. Sawamura threw that one perfectly.

At the 10 second mark of the video he throws a splitter and it looks like he hangs it. At least I think it’s a splitter; it could be a mediocre slider. He supposedly throws a slider as well, and it’s the worst of his offerings. If that was his slider I can see why scouts don’t like it. Either way, the batter doesn’t swing and the pitch is over the plate so it goes down as a called strike, but whatever it was (I think splitter) was pretty hittable for a major league regular. But it’s only one pitch, and one pitch doesn’t tell us much, if anything.

Overall the stuff appears good. It’s the same fastball/splitter repertoire as former Red Sox closer Koji Uehara, so that’s a thing that is A) true and B) utterly irrelevant. Obviously the Red Sox see something in him, and a good split crossed with a mid-to-upper 90s fastball is a good starting point.

There are a few points of concern, though. Last season Sawamura pitched pretty badly for the Yomiuri Giants and was sent down to the minor leagues. Then he was traded to the Chiba Lotte Marines, and there he dominated. He put up a 1.71 ERA with 29 strikeouts and 10 walks in 21 innings pitched. That’s the good stuff, right there. Thing is, I don’t know what he did differently for Chiba Lotte and why he had success there after struggling so badly for Yomiuri and in their minor leagues. I trust that the Red Sox do know though.

The other thing, noted by Alex Speier of the Boston Globe is that Sawamura suffered a shoulder injury in 2017. Judging by that video he’s healthy now, and those are the reports as well. Also, it’s unlikely the Red Sox would give a two-year major league contract to a 33-year-old pitcher with a bum shoulder. Pitcher injuries are never good, though, and this is especially true for guys getting into their mid-30s.

For 2021, Sawamura figures to be a part of the Red Sox bullpen, and to do that he needs to be added to the 40 man roster. So, someone has got to go. The three guys with minor league options remaining (meaning they can be sent down without being exposed and potentially lost to waivers) are Darwinzon Hernandez, Phillips Valdez, and Ryan Brasier. Rule 5 draftee Garrett Whitlock also has options remaining, but as a Rule 5 guy he has to stay on Boston’s roster all season long or be offered back to the Yankees. So you’d assume it would be one of Hernandez, Valdez, or Brasier, and it’s likely not going to be Brasier. No need to make the call between Valdez and Hernandez yet. They’ll all likely be invited to spring training and between pitcher injuries and COVID-19 it might not be either guy who is sent to Triple-A.

There’s also a bit of a roster crunch on the 40 man. Martin Perez still hasn’t been added which is a bit odd considering a bunch of guys the Red Sox (reportedly) signed after Perez have been added. Once Spring Training starts the Red Sox can move Chris Sale to the 60 man IL and that will take him off the 40 man roster, clearing up a spot. But that won’t be enough now with Sawamura and Perez, so some maneuvering will be necessary, and maybe even more depending on any further free agent signings the team makes.

In other news, look for a new episode of the Sox Outsider Podcast which should be out by the time you read this. You can check out the podcast on Apple Podcasts here.