The Red Sox are showing “serious interest” in right-hander Jake Odorizzi, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com tweets. This isn’t the first link between the two sides, who were connected in the rumor mill just a few weeks ago. Odorizzi endured a subpar, injury-shortened 2020 with the Twins, but he is an accomplished starter who has ties to Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom. The hurler pitched in Tampa Bay from 2013-17, when Bloom was part of the Rays’ front office. Odorizzi had a good run with the Rays during those years and continued to pitch well in Minnesota from 2018-19. Based on what the 30-year-old Odorizzi has done so far, he would be a welcome addition to a Boston rotation that’s in dire need of help. Elsewhere…
- The Tigers signed Robbie Grossman on Tuesday, but fellow outfielders Adam Duvall and Nomar Mazara were on their radar before then, Jason Beck of MLB.com tweets. Both Duvall and Mazara became available when their respective teams (Braves, White Sox) non-tendered them last month. Neither player performed as well as Grossman did in 2020, however. Grossman’s tool aren’t flashy, but he’s a smart player who takes what he’s given. He owns a .359 OBP across the last six seasons, a skill he flashed again last season with a solid 10.9 percent walk rate. He also avoids mistakes in the field: as Beck points out, Grossman’s 231-game active errorless streak ranks second among outfielders. It should be noted, Grossman’s total package brings a decidedly different skill set from either Duvall or Mazara, both of whom are known more for their power.
- The Orioles have reason to believe Cole Sulser can return to form as the guy they installed as their early-season closer in 2020, writes Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com. The 30-year-old Sulser was a casualty of a roster crunch in Tampa, and the Orioles benefited by claiming him off waivers. The season started well for Sulser as he became a multi-inning weapon for manager Brandon Hyde, but in a freak accident at home, Sulser broke some toes on his right foot. It wasn’t enough of an injury to keep him from the diamond, but perhaps it should have been as he struggled with his command the rest of the way. Sulser finished with a 5.56 ERA/4.91 FIP/5.87 SIERA and an unsightly 17 percent walk rate. Back at full health, the Orioles expect Sulser to once again be a weapon for them out of the pen.
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