How Red Sox plan to use new pitchers Nick Robertson, Justin Hagenman from Kiké Hernández deal – Beragampengetahuan

BOSTON — In their first move of the trade-deadline season, the Red Sox turned an impending free-agent utilityman into a pair of depth relief pitchers.

There will likely be more moves for the Red Sox, but Tuesday, they ripped off their trade deadline bandage by sending Kiké Hernández and $2.5 million in cash, according to a league source, to the Dodgers in exchange for Triple-A relievers Nick Robertson and Justin Hagenman.

“We matched up with the Dodgers really well,” chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom said shortly after the trade became official. “We were able to get some pitchers that we like, that we think have a chance to help us.”

With just three full-time starters in the Red Sox rotation, the bullpen has been asked to carry a significant load over the past month with a league-leading 88 innings pitched in July. Both pitchers, particularly Robertson, who’s already on the 40-man roster, could help alleviate some of the toll. Robertson and Hagenman both have the ability to rack up strikeouts, and each will be added to the Triple-A Worcester roster with Robertson likely sticking in a late-inning relief role while Hagenman has the ability to pitch multiple innings, possibly as a bulk reliever.

One evaluator characterized both pitchers as “very good strike-throwers with an ability to miss bats with multiple pitches” while another noted both will be used as depth bullpen arms.

Robertson, 25, ranked as the No. 25 prospect in the Dodgers system by Baseball America in its midseason rankings. He posted a 2.54 ERA with 42 strikeouts and nine walks in 28 1/3 innings, good for a 38 percent strikeout rate, in 27 appearances while closing out 15 games in Triple A this season. He was, however, roughed up in nine big-league appearances after debuting for Los Angeles on June 7, allowing seven earned runs in 10 1/3 innings.

The 6-foot-6 Robertson primarily relies on his 94-95 mph fastball and a changeup that’s induced a 43 percent whiff rate this season while also mixing in a slider.

“Robertson is definitely at this point the more accomplished one having already made his big-league debut, on the 40-man roster,” Bloom said. “This is a guy, you can just look at what he’s accomplished in Triple A, he has really had a good run at that level. He has yet to prove it up here but very capable of doing so. Big, tall guy, power pitcher, good fastball. His changeup has really come on. It’s become a weapon against both sides. He has a breaking ball that he uses effectively to righties. Definitely a guy who you can envision helping us here in the very near future.”

Nick Robertson has been one of the best reliever in all of AAA baseball this year. He’s was on LA’s mid-season BA Top 30 as a 6’6 right-hander that has a 38% K%, 17% SwStr%, and 81% contact on zone swings. Plus a 50% GB%. pic.twitter.com/5kpLVm7LsF

— Red Sox Stats (@redsoxstats) July 25, 2023

Hagenman, 26, has a 2.78 ERA with a 27 percent strikeout rate in 25 games, including five starts in Triple A. He throws a low 90s fastball along with a slider and a changeup. One evaluator characterized Hagenman as “intriguing, but fringy.”

Hagenman’s ability to start clearly interested the Red Sox, who will work with him in Triple A to refine his arsenal.

“Hagenman has come along over the course of time,” Bloom said. “Always a guy who could pitch, has good feel to pitch and a complete repertoire. He’s come into a little more velocity as his career has gone on. He’s been kind of used as a swingman.

“I think we’ve got to get our arms around him and get to know him a little bit better,” Bloom said. “He’s shown more multi-inning capacity recently. Obviously, at times we’ve had a lot of bulk or starting opportunities there in Triple A, so it’ll give us an opportunity to get to know him. I’m not really ready to say (his exact role) yet, but it’s nice that he’s had that versatility.”

Bloom admitted the addition of two minor-league relievers doesn’t necessarily represent the final additions to a Red Sox pitching staff that’s seen its share of injuries this season.

“I think this is an area where there is no such thing as having enough,” Bloom said of adding more pitching to the big-league roster. “So we’re going to be looking at a lot of different possibilities. Where it goes from here, I don’t know. But we, along with probably 29 other clubs, are going to be looking at a lot of different pitchers over the next week.”

While the Red Sox still paid part of Hernández’s salary in order to swing the deal, the opportunity to land two intriguing, if unpolished, pitchers in exchange for a veteran utilityman struggling on both sides of the ball, should prove as a small win for the club for now.

At the same time, if the Red Sox want to remain competitive down the stretch, this should be just the first of a few moves the Red Sox need to make before next Tuesday.

(Photo of Nick Robertson: Meg Oliphant / Getty Images)