The Red Sox reportedly strengthened their pitching depth by getting Japanese right-hander Naoyuki Uwasawa from the Tampa Bay Rays, just before the start of the season.
The acquisition was first reported by ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
The Boston Red Sox are acquiring right-hander Naoyuki Uwasawa in a trade with Tampa Bay, sources tell ESPN. Uwasawa, 30, had signed a minor league deal with the Rays and wasn’t going to make the team. Boston, looking for pitching, adds the veteran who pitched nine years in Japan.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) March 27, 2024
Uwasawa, who is 30 years old, recently moved to the United States and signed a minor league deal with the Rays. However, he was recently told that he did not make the team. Uwasawa is expected to give the Red Sox more options for starting pitchers, especially since they don't have many alternatives apart from Cooper Criswell in Triple-A.
Uwasawa, who played nine seasons with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, has a 3.42 ERA over 1,367.1 professional innings. In the last season he participated in, he achieved a 9-9 record with a 2.96 ERA over 170 innings. However, his performance has been poor since he came to the U.S., allowing 14 earned runs in just 9.2 innings (resulting in a 13.03 ERA) in four Grapefruit League games with Tampa Bay.
Uwasawa’s deal with Tampa Bay is structured to pay him $2.5 million if he’s on the MLB roster and $225,000 if he’s in the minors. It’s currently unknown whether the Red Sox intend to add Uwasawa to the 40-man roster.
