Pitchers fill Sox roster
The Red Sox today filled their 40man roster by adding three pitchers — Jalen Beeks, Chandler Shepherd and Ty Buttrey — all of whom would have been eligible for the Rule 5 draft if not added to the roster.
Each pitched in Triple-A last season and could be ready for a big league role in 2018. They join outfielder Bryce Brentz and lefthanded pitcher Williams Jerez on the 40-man roster. They were previously added to keep them from reaching minor league free agency.
Beeks, 24, a left-handed starter, split between Double-A and Triple-A last season and finished with an 11-8 record, 155 strikeouts and a 3.29 ERA in 145 innings. After 17 Triple-A starts, he is now considered one of the better prospects in the organization. Next year he would likely be a source of rotation depth in Pawtucket, if fellow lefties Brian Johnson and Roenis Elias become bullpen options.
Shepherd, 25, a right-handed reliever, spent all season in Triple-A with 68 strikeouts and 18 walks across 592⁄ innings. Ranked as the Red Sox’
3
No. 21 prospect by MLB Pipeline, he pitched well enough in Triple-A to suggest he’s big league ready.
Buttrey, 24. a right-handed reliever, spent most of the year in Double-A with a stint in Triple-A, then had a 2.16 ERA in the Arizona Fall League He could join Shepherd to provide bullpen depth. — CHAD JENNINGS
Hall of Fame candidates
Chipper Jones, Jim Thome and Omar Vizquel are among 19 first-time candidates on the Baseball Writers’ Association of America ballot for baseball’s Hall of Fame. Also new to the 33-man
ballot are Johan Santana, Chris Carpenter, Jamie Moyer, Andruw Jones, Carlos Lee, Kevin Millwood, Carlos Zambrano and Johnny Damon.
Trevor Hoffman, who fell five votes short last year, leads the holdovers.
Jones, an eight-time All-Star, won the 1999 NL MVP and the 2008 NL batting title. He hit .303 with 2,726 hits and 468 home runs in 19 seasons with the Atlanta Braves.
Thome was a five-time All-Star who hit 612 home runs, eighth on the career list, over 22 seasons. Vizquel was an 11-time Gold Glove winner.
Results will be announced Jan. 24.
Yanks make minor deal
The New York Yankees acquired minor league pitcher Reiver Sanmartin from the Texas Rangers for pitcher Ronald Herrera. Herrera, 22, made his major league debut with the Yankees last season, going 0-1 with a 6.00 ERA in two relief appearances. . . .
History-making Pirates second baseman Gift Ngoepe was traded to Toronto for cash considerations or a player to be named. Ngoepe, 27, became the first African-born player in baseball history to reach the major leagues, hitting .222 in 28 games.