CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – SEPTEMBER 16: Starting pitcher Jake Odorizzi #12 of the Minnesota Twins (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images)
Jake Odorizzi might be on the verge of joining the Red Sox.
Outside of the great city of San Diego, the 2020-21 MLB offseason has been moving at a glacial pace, as owners seem increasingly hesitant to spend money and make moves in light of the coronavirus pandemic doing a number on their bottom line. The Boston Red Sox are doing their part to help thaw out the rest of the league, as they will ramp up their pursuit of a former All-Star in Jake Odorizzi.
Mark Feinsand is reporting that the Red Sox are interested in Odorizzi, who is known to some within the organization, as they look to finally bolster one of the worst rotations in baseball.
Jake Odorizzi is looking for a bounce-back year after 2020
After Odorizzi spent most of the early part of his career with the Tampa Bay Rays, he finally fulfilled his star potential in 2019 with the Minnesota Twins, as he went 15-7 with a 3.51 ERA. 2020 was the farthest thing from a strong season, as Odorizzi have up 10 runs in just 13.2 innings, good for an unsightly 6.59 ERA.
The Chris Sale injury and David Price trade did a number on an already poor Boston rotation. For large chunks of the season, the Red Sox had to use relief pitchers and Triple-A warm bodies to eat up heavy innings over the course of the season. Even coming off of the worst year of his career, Odorizzi should be an upgrade.
The Red Sox might be a few players away from truly contending for a championship, but they should make some piecemeal additions here and there to avoid slipping into the AL East basement. Adding Odorizzi to a rotation that is in complete disarray should help them improve upon what was simply an awful offseason in 2021.