The Red Sox and Blue Jays continue their divisional tug-of-war against the right-handed Joel Payamps. The Blue Jays claimed Boston’s Payamps today, according to Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com (via Twitter) Payamps started the winter as a member of the Diamondbacks, with whom he made four appearances, totaling seven entries in the past two seasons. The Red Sox won the 26-year-old at the end of November, but since the beginning of February he has been moving back and forth between Boston and Toronto every two weeks. The Blue Jays claimed it on February 10. The Red Sox claimed it on February 22. Today the Blue Jays claimed it again, designating Jacob Waguespack for attribution to make room, adds Shi Davidi from Sportsnet.ca (via Twitter) This is perhaps not the bet we expect from the rivalries of AL East, but it is almost as good as it can be at this time of year. Let’s see what other news can be printed …
- Red Sox prospectus Bryan Mata has a slight tear in his UCL, according to Ian Browne of MLB.com (via Twitter) Mata will avoid surgery for the time being, although there is no timetable for his return. Mata is the 4th customer in the Boston system according to Baseball America. It is ranked third in its system by Fangraphs. Obviously, if rest and rehabilitation do not resolve, a long road to recovery can await the 21-year-old right-handed. For now, however, Mata and Red Sox remain optimistic. He reached Double-A in 2019 with 11 matches, an ERA of 5.03 / 3.99 FIP and a promising 52.1 percent ground ball rate.
- Roberto Osuna will host a showcase for teams in the Dominican Republic on March 12, by Jon Heyman of MLB Network (via Twitter) Osuna is still only 26, but made only four appearances with the Astros in 2020. After being initially diagnosed with an elbow injury that required Tommy John’s surgery, Osuna sought a second opinion and opted to rehabilitate the injury. Osuna, of course, was already a high-risk signature – at least from an optical perspective – even before the injury because of a 75-game suspension under the MLB-MLBPA Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy in 2018 That said, when healthy, he has been an incredibly productive bullpen arm, most recently leading the American League with 38 defenses in 2019. He has an ERA of 2.74 and an FIP of 2.76 out of 315 entries in his career.