Closing in on Bailey
Team expected to name him new pitching coach
The Red Sox appear to have their new pitching coach.
A major league source confirmed Tuesday night the Sox are nearing an agreement to hire Andrew Bailey. Bailey, 39, had spent the last four years as the pitching coach of the Giants following two years as a member of the Angels’ coaching staff. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic was the first to report the Sox were nearing an agreement with Bailey.
The pairing of Bailey and new Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow is not surprising. The two were teammates for five seasons, first with the A’s from 2009-11, then with the Red Sox in 2012-13. They lived close to one another in Connecticut at the time and worked out together in the offseason.
Bailey was also on the board of directors of Breslow’s Strike 3 Foundation, an organization dedicated for funding research in the fight against pediatric cancer.
But beyond their friendship, Bailey emerged as a leading candidate due to strong work with the Giants’ pitching staff over the last four years. San Francisco had a 3.81 ERA over that stretch, sixth-best in the big leagues in that time. Over the same span, Red Sox pitchers forged a 4.57 ERA, 23rd in the majors.
Several pitchers have thrived under Bailey’s tutelage. Kevin Gausman emerged as a Cy Young candidate under Bailey in 2021, then signed a five-year, $110 million deal with the Blue Jays. Carlos Rodón spent one year with Bailey in 2022, finished sixth in Cy Young voting, then signed a six-year, $162 million deal with the Yankees. Giants ace Logan Webb is a Cy Young finalist this year.
Breslow made clear at last week’s GM Meetings in Arizona that hiring a pitching coach was a priority.
“Offseason days are precious, just given how productive they can be in terms of development for our players,” Breslow said. “Every day that our pitching staff doesn’t have a pitching coach, in my mind is a bit of a lost opportunity.”
Now, those days appear close to a conclusion.
Roster decisions
The Red Sox did not add lefthander Shane Drohan to their 40-man roster, making him eligible for the Rule 5 draft, which will take place Dec. 6 during the Winter Meetings. Drohan, 24, was a fifth-round pick by the Sox in 2020. The Red Sox protected just two players from the Rule 5 draft, righthanders Wikelman Gonzalez and Luis Perales.