The Boston Red Sox have continued adding pitching as a reclamation project. The latest was the signing of veteran righty and longtime Dodger Walker Buehler. Buelher impressed in the postseason to minimize a pedestrian regular season. Boston has been down that path, with Nathan Elovadi inking a deal after a great postseason and the Sox getting 73 starts in four years.
Carla St. Rose-Rein wrote a remarkable memoir called "Land of Broken Toys. " In a metaphoric sense, that is what Buehler is — another in a long list of recovering arms. Buehler showed just enough last season and in the playoffs to tempt Red Sox management with another risk/reward situation that has traditionally leaned more toward risk.
The team signed Michael Fulmer, a former Rookie of the Year, to a contract as Fulmer recovers from Tommy John surgery. Fulmer has company as the Red Sox signed their potential closer of the future, Liam Hendriks, to an expensive and risky show-me contract.
The Red Sox also signed James Paxton while he recovered from Tommy John surgery in 2022 and recently added former Angels starter Patrick Sandoval while he recovers, likely into the second half.
The Walker Buehler signing follows an unnecessary recent trend of Red Sox reclamation projects
What motivates the Red Sox to search for reclamation projects? Is it a fear factor with money being flushed away on a disappointment? Not every signing morphs into David Price.
The Red Sox of a bygone period did have some inventiveness with the contract for John Lackey, which got the team an extra year at MLB minimum if Lackey had Tommy John surgery. That would be an unfathomable addition to a contract today.
Buehler could become something of a Luis Tiant. Tiant had a Hall of Fame-worthy career that started with Cleveland, where he won 20 games in 1968, then lost 20 games in 1969. That started a trek with a trade to Minnesota, a release, a signing, and a subsequent release by the Braves.
Tiant signed with the Red Sox and did little in 1971 (1-7, 4.85 ERA), but the Red Sox took a chance and kept Tiant, which paid off big time. Is that embedded in the management genetics of the Red Sox? Fifty or so years hoping for the next Tiant?
Boston had their shot with Max Fried, who signed with the Yankees, so they pivoted to a trade with the White Sox for Garrett Crochet (TJS Class of 2022) and several notable prospects. Money can be replaced, and prospects cannot. But the trade was a solid addition.
Corbin Burnes is still on the board, and Boston has significant payroll flexibility, so the option is to take the risk and avoid more broken toys unless Burnes goes for Tommy John in June.
