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In a deadline the place issues are shaping as much as be slightly spicier than anticipated — Mason Miller for Leo de Vries and buddies, holy cannoli — Steven Matz’s arrival in Boston in trade for first base prospect Blaze Jordan feels destined to get swept underneath the rug. However wait, don’t look away but. This season, Matz shifted to short-term reduction work for the primary time in his profession, and the outcomes have been spectacular. In 55 innings, he’s delivered a 2.87 FIP, totally on the energy of a minuscule 4% stroll fee and wonderful home-run suppression.
Matz hasn’t actually overhauled something about his arsenal along with his transfer to the ‘pen. His heater is up possibly a tick, but it surely’s nonetheless the identical elementary Matz package deal, remarkably unchanged since his 2015 debut: heavy sinker utilization, a gradual two-plane curveball, and a changeup to combine in in opposition to right-handed hitters:
The lateral motion and lack of stick with it his sinker makes it a considerably ineffective pitch in opposition to righties, however those self same qualities render it a weapon in opposition to lefties. Similar-handed hitters are hitting .179/.216/.226 in opposition to Matz this season, good for only a .199 wOBA. Amongst pitchers who’ve thrown a minimum of 250 pitches to lefties this season, he ranks thirteenth finest in wOBA allowed.
Early in counts, Matz kilos the skin edge with that sinker. The precision goal — he zones the pitch practically 65% of the time whereas aiming for a tremendous goal — will get him a ton of referred to as strikes, permitting him to often work with rely leverage. Armed with an edge, Matz deploys his crazy curveball as his most popular put-away choice. It doesn’t get a ton of whiff, but it surely’s additionally robust to raise. And if he sneaks it by way of the entrance door, there’s simply no approach a hitter is swinging:
From a roster match perspective, the transfer appears a bit curious. In line with RosterResource, Matz would be the fifth lefty in Boston’s ‘pen. Aroldis Chapman is the nearer, so he doesn’t really matter, however between Justin Wilson, Brennan Bernardinoand Chris Murphyit could appear like the Sox are well-covered on the lefty specialist entrance. However a better look suggests why they won’t wish to stand pat with that crew.
Let’s take them in reverse order. Murphy is an up-down man, throwing simply 16.2 innings within the main leagues this season. Alex Cora and co. most likely aren’t going to really feel snug thrusting a man that inexperienced into high-leverage work throughout a giant playoff collection. He may even get optioned to clear room for Matz.
Bernardino is a man who has been round some time, and does have a prototypical lefty-killer arsenal: a sinker that hovers across the zero induced vertical break line from a super-low launch level, and a “curveball” (it’s a sweeper) that breaks practically three toes within the different course.
The issue? Bernardino sits 91 mph and walks a ton of men. Desirous about a future the place the Crimson Sox must get by way of, say, Josh Naylor and Dominic Tune to stave off an ALCS sweep by the hands of the Mariners, it’s a bit scary to have a man throwing 91, with the distinct potential of strolling two of the three hitters he’s obligated by legislation to face. In contrast, Matz seems like a trusty pair of fingers — he’s bought the fourth-lowest stroll fee amongst relievers with a minimum of 40 innings pitched this 12 months, and he’s a veteran with big-game expertise.
However there’s a third lefty, and he’s one of many dozen pitchers who’s really been higher in opposition to lefties this season than Matz. Wilson isn’t precisely Tim Hill. He throws from a excessive slot and will get a ton of fastball carry, and he pairs his heater with an 88-mph bullet slider he throws under the zone for whiffs. Though it seems like a platoon-neutral north-south assault package deal, he’s been a lot better in opposition to left-handed hitters than righties, holding them to simply seven hits (one double, zero homers) and 5 walks in 63 probabilities. Matz, at first look, appears a bit redundant given the presence of Wilson. However I’ll get again to that.
As for the return: The Crimson Sox are sending Blaze Jordan to the Cardinals. On short-form social platforms, I noticed a not-insignificant share of Boston followers lamenting the departure of such a premium prospect. Maybe the keenness will be attributed to his 80-grade identify, or the sterling stats he posted in Double-A Portland earlier this 12 months. The response suggests Jordan is an extremely invaluable prospect, not somebody who Eric Longenhagen (favorably) in comparison with Ryon Healy in a latest write-up.
Jordan’s numbers within the excessive minors, as Eric famous, are spectacular, and he’s comparatively younger for the extent. However… properly, as a substitute of summarizing Eric’s report, I’ll simply paste it right here:
The chase is regarding once you’re speaking a couple of unhealthy nook defender. So many toolsier guys have been undone by that and that alone. Jordan is slow-of-foot and has properly below-average vary at third base, although he does different stuff properly and will play there in a pinch. He has largely performed first base in 2025, and that’s his higher place. Low-OBP first basemen must have titanic energy to be influence gamers, and whereas Blaze has significant pop, it’s not in Jordan Alvarez territory or something like that.
Eric put a 40 FV grade on Jordan, which looks like a completely truthful return for a reliever like Matz.
The final bit that’s inquisitive about this deal: There simply aren’t that many good left-handed hitters on the seemingly American League playoff groups. Of the groups with a minimum of 15% playoff odds, there are solely 5 certified lefties with a minimum of a 120 wRC+: Cody Bellinger (133), Riley Greene (133), Trent Grisham (127), the aforementioned Naylor (122) and Zach McKinstry (121). (Corey Seager, Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Addison Barger simply missed the plate look cutoff, whereas Jordan Alvarez has but to be activated from the IL.) That’s not precisely a assassin’s row. Given the shortage of lefties in the best way of their pursuit of a pennant, it does make one marvel why Boston would load up on lefty specialists.
However maybe Boston is pondering optimistically. What in the event that they discover themselves within the first recreation of the World Sequence, and there are runners on first and second, and it’s the fifth inning, and Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman are due up, they usually want Wilson for the subsequent time by way of the order. Hey, it’s an extended shot — but when it comes by way of, the Crimson Sox can be awfully glad to have a dependable Matz of their pocket.
