The Red Sox are closing in on a deal with right-hander Zack Godley, according to a baseball source. Boston immediately started chasing Godley after the Tigers released him on Monday.
The deal is not done, a source warned, but the Red Sox have become the clear favorite to sign Godley.
If the deal is finalized, Godley will join the competition for Boston’s open rotation positions. With Chris Sale out for the season after undergoing Tommy John and Eduardo Rodríguez surgery temporarily sidelined after testing positive for COVID-19, the Red Sox have two open spots in their rotation and are considering Brian Johnson, Chris Mazza, Matt Hall, Jeffrey Springs and others. 10 days to go before opening day.
Godley, a 30-year-old right-hander, was a member of the Diamondbacks’ rotation in 2017 and 2018, posting a 4.10 ERA in 57 starts in those two seasons. He fought early last season, prompting Arizona to designate him for his assignment in early August. The Blue Jays claimed him from the exemptions in early August and threw 16 relief innings for Toronto down the stretch, posting a 3.94 ERA and 12 strikeouts.
Godley signed a minor league deal with Detroit in December and was in camp with a deal that could have paid him up to $ 3 million if all incentives had been met. The Tigers, who were not planning to have Godley on their Opening Day roster, cut him to allow him to join another club before Opening Day.
Godley’s major league record seems to give him a slight edge in the Red Sox rotation competition, though manager Ron Roenicke and baseball boss Chaim Bloom obviously would want to see him at camp before making a decision. On Sunday, Roenicke said he believed the Red Sox were seeking to acquire starting pitches through free agency or commerce.
“It’s hard to say that you would ever feel really comfortable with all the early releases you have,” said Roenicke during a Zoom call. “You rarely have six, seven, or eight starters that you feel good about. And you know that you are not going to use only five types. That just doesn’t happen in today’s game. So you never feel comfortable with enough starters. “
Related links:
Rumors about the Red Sox: Boston chases free agent starter Zack Godley; former Diamondbacks could rightly choose a new team soon
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