Consider this a modest proposal to get the Boston Red Sox some bullpen help next season.
Boston wound up with one of the best bullpens in baseball, leading the American League with a 3.41 reliever ERA. If there was a flaw, however, it was finding quality righties who could take the ball outside of setup man Garrett Whitlock.
It’s too early in the offseason to start signing big names, and the Red Sox probably won’t focus their efforts on the Edwin Díazes or even Ryan Helsleys of the world. But there’s an intriguing reunion candidate suddenly available if the Red Sox have any interest in a minor-league deal.
Apr 29, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros relief pitcher Tayler Scott (50) reacts after getting a strikeout during the seventh inning against the Detroit Tigers at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
On Monday, right-handed reliever Tayler Scott elected free agency from the Houston Astros, per his official transactions page. Scott, 33, has played for eight Major League Baseball teams in his five-year career, as well as a two-year stint in Japan.
If you don’t remember Scott on the Red Sox, you’re not alone. He pitched all of two games in the summer of 2023, spending 12 days on the roster before he was designated for assignment. He was claimed by the Oakland Athletics, before going on to have the best season of his life for the Astros last year.
There’s a reason Scott is a free agent — his season went very, very poorly. In 24 appearances split between the Astros and Arizona Diamondbacks, he had a 7.90 ERA in 27 1/3 innings, allowing 34 hits, six home runs, and 18 walks.
It’s hard to get the impression of Scott’s brilliant 2024 season out of this writer’s mind, though. He put up a 2.23 ERA in 68 2/3 innings, and he ranked in the 98th percentile of barrels allowed that season.
The South Africa native is a project, and it’s unlikely he’ll find a major league contract this winter. But if the Red Sox are interested, their track record of working with pitchers over the last two seasons (different staff than Scott knew in July of 2023) might be of interest to the player.
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