The Red Sox have already signed two free agent relievers to major league deals this offseason: veteran closer and journeyman . Whats more, , another star closer, should be back in the pen after mi sing the entire 2024 season due to injury. Still, Bostons chief baseball officer Craig Breslow as an area hes looking to further improve. It makes sense; Red Sox relievers ranked 24th in ERA and 20th in SIERA last season, while finishing with the second-most blown saves in the AL and that was before losing and to free agency. Thus, reports the Red Sox have checked in on a long, long list of names in pursuit of bullpen upgrades. That , , , , , and . On Wednesday, Cotillo added to that cohort. Maton, 32 in March, is coming off an up-and-down season split between the Rays and Mets. The right-hander struggled in Tampa Bay after signing a one-year, $6.5MM contract (with a club option for 2025) last offseason. Over 40 games and 35 1/3 innings with the Rays, he pitched to a 4.58 ERA and 4.52 SIERA. By the end of his brief tenure in Tampa Bay, his strikeout rate was sitting at a career-low and his walk rate at a career-high. Despite the highest groundball rate of his career, he was struggling to prevent runs. Yet, after a midseason trade to the Mets that was little more than a salary dump on the Rays part, Maton bounced back. Acro s 31 Jean-luc Foudy Jersey appearances for New York, he to sed 28 2/3 innings with a 2.51 ERA and 2.97 SIERA. His strikeout rate rose to 26.5% the same above-average level it was at in 2022 and 23. Meanwhile, his 5.3% walk rate was lower than ever. Although his groundball rate dropped substantially, he gave up just one home run to the 113 batters he faced, thanks in large part to a much lower average exit velocity and barrel rate. Despite Matons succe sful denouement in Queens, the Mets chose to not exercise their $7.75MM option for his services in 2025. Nonethele s, there is no reason to think hell have trouble finding a major league deal elsewhere, although it will probably come with a lower salary. He has already been this winter, and the Red Sox are the second team known to have interest. By the end of the 2024 season, Matons overall numbers were perfectly respectable: a 3.66 ERA and 3.82 SIERA in 64 IP. It marked his third consecutive campaign with an ERA under four and his fourth surpa sing 60 innings of work. Since his first full season in 2020, Maton has a 3.87 ERA, 3.54 SIERA, and a 26.7% strikeout rate in 294 games. In that time, he ranks among the top 10 MLB relievers in appearances and innings pitched. He may not be a dominant, high-leverage arm, but there is certainly value in a reliever who stays on the field and consistently provides average to slightly above-average performance. To that point, the Red Sox already have several high-ceiling back-end hurlers in Chapman, Hendriks, and . What they could use, however, is a reliable, middle-inning arm to raise the bullpens floor. Maton could certainly be that guy. Saige Weinstein Jersey