The Red Sox traded for the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday, essentially at the last minute, to add to their pitching staff, which is in need of aid with extended relief and possibly early-season spot starts. Naoyuki Uwasawa, a nine-year Nippon Ham Fighters big league veteran in Japan, is an experienced Japanese pitcher that the Red Sox are adding.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan broke the story on the transaction first, writing on Twitter/X: Right-hander Naoyuki Uwasawa is being acquired by the Boston Red Sox from Tampa Bay, sources tell ESPN. The 30-year-old Uwasawa was never going to make the Rays, even after inking a minor league contract. In search of pitching, Boston brings in the veteran who spent nine years pitching in Japan.
Given that Uwasawa’s numbers raise some red flags, there may be some concern about acquiring a pitcher who wasn’t a good fit for the Rays this spring. This spring, he made four appearances, going 0-1 with a 13.03 ERA in 9.2 innings pitched and giving up nine earned runs. His WHIP was 2.38.
Opening Day is on Thursday in Seattle, and the Red Sox have their rotation set up with Brayan Bello, Nick Pivetta, and Kutter Crawford in the top three spots. Tanner Houck and Garrett Whitlock are expected to start the season as the 4-5 pitchers.
Chase Anderson, a seasoned pitcher that the Red Sox recruited this week, is expected to contribute when the team needs a lengthy reliever or spot starter. Due to elbow surgery this spring, the Red Sox lost their expected ace, Lucas Giolito, and now have two relievers on the injured list: Chris Murphy and Liam Hendriks.
Although Uwasawa won’t cost the earth to pay, the Red Sox have a motivation to at least give him a go in the lower leagues. Earlier in the offseason, Adam Berry of MLB.com described his contract as follows:
“A source claims that Uwasawa’s split deal, if he is added to the 40-man roster, will pay him $2.5 million in the Majors and $225,000 in the Minors.
He has the potential to make up to $3.5 million, with performance bonuses based on Major League innings pitched providing him with an extra $1 million. After working 70 innings for the Rays, he would get $100,000. After that, he would get the same amount for every 10 innings, up to a maximum of $1 million for 160 innings.
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