Billy Wagner talks his chase for Cooperstown
Let the roster shuffling begin.
New Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow swung his first deal, trading infielder Luis Urias - Chaim Bloom's only trade deadline pickup last season - to Seattle in exchange for pitcher Isaiah Campbell.
The move was made in large part because Urias was a prime candidate to not be tendered a contract Friday, which was the deadline for clubs to decide who would be non-tendered deals. Urias is slated to earn more than $4 million in arbitration this offseason.
Campbell has proven to be a major league reliever, totaling a 2.83 ERA in 27 appearances for the Mariners in 2023. The 2019 second-round pick out of the University of Arkansas struck out 33 in 28 2/3 innings.
The 26-year-old righty primarily relies on a fastball that sits in the mid-90's and slider, which hitters managed just a .137 batting average against. Campbell was a bit of reverse-split pitcher during his time in the big leagues, holding lefty hitters to just a .163 batting average while striking out 22 in 48 plate appearances.
The 6-foot-4 hurler grew up in Portugal before attending high school in Kansas, making his major league debut July 7.
The move pares the Red Sox' second base candidate pool down, leaving Enmanuel Valdez, David Hamilton and Pablo Reyes. (Urias also wore No. 17 for all those Shohei Ohtani dreamers.)
The Red Sox did clear a 40-man roster spot by not offering pitcher Wyatt Mills a contract. Mills missed all of 2023 with an elbow injury. The roster now stands at 37 players.
There were some notable names who became free agents Friday due to their teams deciding not to tender them contracts. Included in the list are: Brandon Woodruff, Brewers; Rowdy Tellez, Brewers; Juan Yepez, Cardinals; Dakota Hudson, Cardinals; Andrew Knizner, Cardinals; Nick Senzel, Reds; Jacob Stallings, Marlins; Daniel Vogelbach, Mets; Adam Cimber, Blue Jays; Spencer Turnbull, Tigers; Austin Meadows, Tigers; Tim Hill, Padres; Austin Nola, Padres.