Chaim Bloom's work has officially begun.
The Boston Red Sox have signed relief pitcher Joely Rodriguez to a one-year contract with a club option for 2024, the team announced Wednesday.
It's a low-cost deal -- Rodriguez will make $1.5 million in base salary in 2023 with a potential $2 million in active roster bonuses, per Mass Live's Chris Cotillo -- but the left-hander is Boston's first official free-agent signing of the offseason.
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Rodriguez posted a 4.47 ERA over 50.1 innings of relief with the New York Mets last season but found success with the New York Yankees in the latter half of 2021, with a 2.84 ERA over 24 appearances after the Texas Rangers dealt him at the MLB trade deadline. He began his major league career with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2016.
The Red Sox desperately need bullpen help, and 31-year-old Dominican Republic native could be a solid left-handed option. According to Cotillo, the Red Sox like Rodriguez's "pitch mix (primarily his two-seam fastball and a plus changeup) and the fact he induces a lot of ground balls, weak contact and whiffs."
