During the Boston Red Sox's hunt for bullpen help, the team acquired a trio of pitchers at the MLB trade deadline, including Luis Garcia from the Los Angeles Angels.
After posting a 3.71 ERA and a 1.168 WHIP 45 outings (43 2/3 innings) with Los Angeles, the 37-year-old has been horrendous for Boston. In 11 1/3 innings over 11 appearances, he posted a 10.32 ERA and a 1.941 WHIP before hitting the 15-day injured list last month with elbow inflammation.
It's possible that Garcia has already thrown his last pitch for Boston, but the player that the Red Sox sent back to Los Angeles has looked great.
The return for Garcia was right-handed pitching prospect Ryan Zeferjahn, who had posted a 5.47 ERA with Triple-A Worcester.
Since debuting in the major leagues for the Angels, he's looked great, allowing two runs on three hits and three walks while striking out 11 batters over 9 1/3 innings of relief.
Ryan Zeferjahn with the Angels
— Red Sox Stats (@redsoxstats) September 9, 2024
9.1 IP. 1.93 ERA, 0.64 WHIP, 11 K, 3 BB pic.twitter.com/ddXINJU1yz
No one will ever know if Zeferjahn could've done this in Boston, but he likely wouldn't have been worse than Garcia has been so far. If the Red Sox had called him up to their big-league roster, they could be in a better position to make the postseason.
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