The Red Sox were one of the teams interested in signing Steven Matz when he became a free agency following the 2021 season.
Team officials weren’t the only ones who made contact.
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The left-hander remarked, “I recall a lot of guys reaching out,” on Friday. I recall Kik Hernandez, (Kevin) Plawecki, and (Nathan) Eovaldi reaching out and everyone expressing how much they liked the place, the culture, Alex Cora, and the music.
Despite ultimately agreeing to a four-year, $44 million deal with the St. Louis Cardinals, Matz never forgot what he had heard about Boston. He therefore felt immediately reassured that he was ending up in a good place when he learned this week that he had been traded to the Red Sox.
“It’s really exciting,” Matz remarked. One of my favorite locations to attend and watch a game is Fenway; the atmosphere is usually fantastic, and this squad is a youthful, dynamic, and extremely athletic, so I think it will be a lot of fun.
Matz, a 34-year-old left-hander, was one of two pitchers the Red Sox acquired prior to this week’s trade deadline and is anticipated to assume a key position in the bullpen. This season, Matz, who was once a starter, has adjusted well to his new position and now has a 3.44 ERA with 47 strikeouts in 55 innings and 32 appearances.
Matz stated that he is at ease pitching as both a bulk man and a single-inning reliever, but he has not been told exactly what his job in the Red Sox pen would be.
In the end, the thinking is the same: you don’t want to give up runs or get people on base, so it’s the same thing, Matz said. In the end, you want to get outs when you get in there, but the game will determine how you pitch a little bit because you’re up against the hitter.
