Red Sox acquire Steven Matz in trade to bolster pitching depth originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The Boston Red Sox have made their first move ahead of the MLB trade deadline.
The Red Sox acquired left-handed pitcher Steven Matz from the Cardinals in a trade that sends infield prospect Blaze Jordan to St. Louis, the teams announced late Wednesday night.
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Matz, 34, is a longtime starter turned reliever who found success in the Cardinals’ bullpen this season, posting a 3.44 ERA and 1.182 WHIP over 55 innings. He’s made 172 career starts over an 11-year MLB career primarily split between the New York Mets and Cardinals but transitioned to a bullpen role late in the 2024 season.
Matz is a rental making $3.8 million on the final year of a four-year, $44 million contract, so the Red Sox will either need to re-sign him to a new deal this offseason or let him walk in free agency. Still, the veteran is a welcome addition to a staff that could use relief help behind All-Star closer Aroldis Chapman, who currently is dealing with a minor back injury.
Matz’s past experience as a starter also gives Boston the flexibility to use him in spots starts or as a long reliever if necessary.
The Red Sox paid a price to land Matz, however. While Jordan was the 19th-ranked prospect in Boston’s system per SoxProspects.com, he’s skyrocketed through the minors and earned the call-up to Triple-A Worcester in June. The 22-year-old was slashing .298/.341/.480 with six home runs and 25 RBIs in 44 games with Worcester and boasts plenty of raw power.
The Red Sox are clearly in win-now mode, though, and trading for a rental signals their intention to bolster the roster for a playoff push. At 59-51, the team currently occupies the second Wild Card spot in the American League and is five games behind the Toronto Blue Jays in the AL East.
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Boston still could use a legitimate mid-rotation starter, a catcher and a first baseman ahead of Thursday’s 6 p.m. ET MLB trade deadline, so we’ll see if chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has more moves to make.
