The Japanese players on the Boston Red Sox roster are growing.The Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays are trading for righty pitcher Naoyuki Uwasawa.
According to a report from ESPN’s Jeff Passan on Wednesday. Boston, according to Passan, had been searching for more pitching depth.
According to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, the Red Sox will provide the Rays monetary considerations in return for Uwasawa.
Thirty-year-old Uwasawa pitched for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the previous nine seasons in Japan. Shohei Ohtani used to play with that very same team. (From 2014 until 2017, the two were colleagues there.)
With a career record of 78-80, a 3.42 ERA, and 7.2 strikeouts per nine innings, Uwasawa is a three-time NPB All-Star. Although he signed a minor league contract with the Rays this summer, he was not expected to be on the team on Opening Day.
The pitching of the Red Sox, who already have Japanese outfielder Masataka Yoshida, is in a bit of a bad situation. After undergoing Tommy John surgery, new addition Lucas Giolito is anticipated to miss the full season, meaning Boston has officially lost out on several higher-upside starters. Although Uwasawa is unlikely to have a significant impact for the Red Sox, with the regular season soon to start, he seems to be among the finest possibilities available.
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