MLB Rumors: 5 relievers the Red Sox should target
4. Jake Diekman
As their bullpen is currently constructed, the Red Sox are painfully short on left-handed relievers. Josh Taylor is the only option on the active roster at the moment, and he has a 5.68 ERA in 12.2 innings. Overall, the team’s relievers have given up a .242/.338/.458 line with 37 home runs to lefty hitters. Clearly, something has to change.
There are always plenty of left-handed relievers on the trade block for contenders to pick over, and this year is no different. If the Red Sox want to go strictly for a left-handed specialist, Kansas City Royals southpaw Jake Diekman is a good option to consider. The 32-year-old has held lefty hitters to a .230/.329/.300 line for his eight-year career. So far this season, he has held them to a .154/.327/.205 line with 11 strikeouts.
As a submariner, Diekman does have a tendency to be volatile, as evidenced by his 4.76 ERA this season. That mark has been driven up by occasional bouts of wildness. Diekman is striking out 13.5 per-nine but is walking 5.3 per-nine. His ERA would come in at a much better 3.27 if two ugly three-run appearances are taken out of the equation.
Diekman could thrive for the Red Sox in a role where he is used strictly as a lefty specialist. He has been used that way for most of his career, but the Royals have pressed him into going for full innings at a time because of their own depth issues. He has managed the task fairly well, but offers the most value to a contender as a LOOGY.