Not everyone is sold on the current direction of the Boston Red Sox.
The organization has been reshaped rather rapidly by Chaim Bloom, and the departure of many players from the 2018 title-winning team -- including outfielders Mookie Betts, Andrew Benintendi, and potentially Jackie Bradley Jr. -- has been viewed by the fans with skepticism.
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But ahead of 2021, there are still many who believe in the team. That includes new free-agent acquisition Matt Andriese.
The 31-year-old swingman was signed to a one-year, $1.85 million contract to provide depth to the pitching staff. Andriese is hoping that a return to an analytically-driven organization can help him continue to perform at a high level after a solid 2020 campaign.
"I enjoy looking at all those numbers," Andriese said, per Julian McWilliams of The Boston Globe. "I enjoy reading the analytics and the data to help you with pitch shape just to know how your stuff plays. It’ll be nice to get back into a good organization that values that, so we can get back on track."
It's not surprising to hear Andriese praise the Red Sox. He spent his first three-and-a-half major league seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays and enjoyed some of the best seasons of his career there as a starter. Bloom worked with the Rays during that time frame, so perhaps Bloom's analytically-minded presence had an impact on Andriese's decision to sign with Boston.
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Andriese is coming off a strong season with the Los Angeles Angels. He had a tough start to the year as a reliever, but in 11 appearances from August 20 through the end of the season, he was stellar. He struck out 18 batters over 17 innings pitched, held his opponents to a .089 batting average, and recorded a 2.16 ERA with two saves.
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Most importantly, Andriese was comfortable with the Angels last year, and he's hoping to carry that over to the Red Sox.
"I think it’s just about being comfortable in certain roles, and having success," Andriese said. "So finishing off the year strong, healthy, and feeling good, I can take that into the Red Sox this year."
If Andriese can continue to pitch as he did late last year, he could fill a number of roles with the Red Sox. With Nate Eovaldi, Eduardo Rodriguez, Nick Pivetta, Garrett Richards, and Tanner Houck all around as potential starters and Chris Sale potentially returning late in the season, Andriese will have competition if he wants to be a starter.
However, a bigger role for him to play could be as a key piece of starting rotation depth. That's something the team lacked last year.
In all likelihood, Andriese will be a bullpen option who could be a multi-inning opener for the team as needed. We'll soon see what he can do, but it sounds like the journeyman will do everything he can to make an impact with the Sox this season.