April 21, 2020 at 6:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Where are they now? (Pitchers, Vol. 1)
4/21 Cup of Coffee: The Red Sox traded a lot of pitchers between 2016 and 2018. Here are four of them:
The top-ranked prospect in the 2017 deadline deal to acquire Addison Reed, Callahan made his major league debut for the Mets just six weeks later. After sputtering as a starter to start his pro career, the 2012 second-round pick was dominant in a bullpen role with Portland to start the ’17 campaign and continued to pitch effectively after a May promotion to Pawtucket. Callahan allowed four runs (three earned) in 6 2/3 innings across nine appearances in a September audition that seemed to set him up to compete for a job in the Mets bullpen the following year, but a shoulder injury suffered in April shelved him for 14 months. Non-tendered by New York, Callahan signed a minor league deal with the Giants. He struggled in his return to Triple-A and was released in spring training. Still only 25, Callahan is currently a free agent.
Another of the trio of relievers the Mets received in the Reed deal, Bautista was struggling in Salem at the time of the trade and had fallen entirely off of the SoxProspects Top 40. The flame-throwing right-hander quickly turned things around after the deal, as a 1.26 ERA and 20 strikeouts against only three walks in 14 1/3 innings earned him an addition to the Mets 40-man roster. He made his major league debut in April of 2018 but understandably struggled given that he had a grand total of five innings above Class A. Bautista gave up six runs in 4 1/3 innings in two short major league stints and found himself on the move again, this time to Seattle as part of the seven-player blockbuster that landed Robinson Cano and Edwin Diaz. He continued to struggle at the MLB level with 11 runs allowed in nine innings. His fast-tracked progress does not appear to have done him any favors as he enters his final option year with a 6.54 ERA in Triple-A to go with his 11.48 major league mark.
The third piece going to the Mets in exchange for Reed, Nogosek had been in the Red Sox organization barely a year. Used more like a traditional closer than is typically seen in the minors, Nogosek was excellent for Greenville to kick off 2017 and continued to impress at Salem. His 2018 in the Mets was mixed, as his solid showing at St. Lucie was tempered by his status as a 2016 college draftee still in Class A and by his struggles in Double-A Binghamton. Nogosek found his repeat engagement with the Eastern League more to his liking as he gave up just two earned runs in 19 innings in his initial 2019 assignment. He was even better after a promotion to Triple-A Syracuse, giving up just one (unearned) run in 12 2/3 innings to earn a call to the majors. Nogosek made his debut on June 19 and got into seven games with the Mets, allowing eight runs in 6 2/3. He continued to be effective back in Syracuse for the remainder of the summer, but the fact he wasn’t recalled when rosters expanded gave some insight into how the Mets valued him. Despite his strong minor league showing in 2019 and having two options remaining, Nogosek was designated for assignment last month and was able to clear waivers before getting outrighted.
There are two things people seem to know about Logan Allen. The first is his striking physical similarity to Jon Lester, (though I’d be remiss if I failed to note that Allen’s beard-growing skills have proven far superior). The second is his status as the personification of Dave Dombrowski’s reputation for including too much in the back end of trades. Allen, ostensibly the third piece in the deal that brought Craig Kimbrel to Boston, really blossomed in the Padres system and was a universal Top-100 prospect headed into 2019 – an honor that several of the same publications did not give to anyone in the Boston system that winter. After a dynamite 2018 season split between Double-A San Antonio and Triple-A El Paso, Allen had an uneven year. He slumped to a 5.15 ERA in El Paso and a 6.75 mark in eight major league appearances with San Diego. The Cleveland Indians were not frightened, however, as they made him the key piece of a seven-player, three-team deal at the trading deadline that sent All-Star starter Trever Bauer to Cincinnati and esteemed outfield prospect Taylor Trammel out to San Diego. Allen’s struggles continued at Triple-A Columbus but he did not allow a run in his only Cleveland appearance, a 2 1/3 innings relief stint against the Red Sox in August. He was optioned to Columbus on March 19.
Photo Credit: Jamie Callahan by Kelly O'Connor