The Red Sox and Blue Jays continue their divisions tug of war over the right hand Joel Payamps. The Blue Jays claimed Boston Payamps today, according to Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com (via Twitter). Payamps started the winter as a member of the Diamondbacks, with whom he has made four appearances over the past two seasons, with a total of seven overs. The Red Sox claimed the 26-year-old in late November, but since early February he has been passed back and forth between Boston and Toronto every two weeks. The Blue Jays claimed him on February 10th. The Red Sox claimed him back on February 22nd. Today the Blue Jays again demanded and appointed him Jacob Waguespack for assignment to make room, adds Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca (via Twitter). These may not be the interests we expect from ALL East rivalry, but they are about as good as they get this time of year. Let’s see what other news is suitable for printing …
- Red Sox outlook Bryan Mata has a slight tear in his UCL, according to MLB.com’s Ian Browne (via Twitter). Mata will now avoid surgery, but there is no timetable for his return. Mata is the fourth position in Boston’s system according to Baseball America. He is ranked third in their system by Fangraphs. Clearly, if rest and rehabilitation do not do the trick, a long road to recovery could possibly await the 21-year-old right-hand man. For now, however, Mata and the Red Sox remain optimistic. He made it as high as Double-A in 2019 with 11 starts, a 5.03 ERA / 3.99 FIP and promising 52.1 percent baseball figure.
- Roberto Osuna holds a showcase for teams in the Dominican Republic on March 12, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network (via Twitter). Osuna is still only 26 years old, but in 2020 he made only four appearances with the Astros. After initially being diagnosed with an elbow injury that Tommy John had to undergo surgery, Osuna asked for a second opinion and chose to repair the injury. Osuna was, of course, already a fairly high-risk signing – at least from an optical perspective – even before the injury due to a 75-match suspension under the MLB-MLBPA Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy in 2018 It said: if he was healthy, he was an incredibly productive bullpen arm, which recently led the American league with 38 savings in 2019. He owns a 2.74 ERA and 2.76 FIP for more than 315 overs for his career.