The strange winter life of Sandy Rosario added another chapter on Wednesday, as Carrie Muskat of MLB.com reported (via twitter [1]) that the Cubs have claimed the right-hander off waivers from the Red Sox. It is the fourth time this offseason that the reliever has changed teams.
The Sox claimed him off waivers from the Marlins in October. In need of a spot on the 40-man roster, the team then designated him for assignment in November. He did not get through waivers, and so the Sox worked out a trade with the A's for right-hander Graham Godfrey. But when the A's tried to get him off their own 40-man roster, the Sox claimed Rosario on waivers back from Oakland. However, as the Sox once again tried to outright the right-hander to the minors, the Cubs have now claimed him.
Rosario, 27, is a 6-foor-1, athletic reliever with a 93-97 mph fastball that has explosive late life in the strike zone. In 7 2/3 big league innings, he's allowed 13 runs while striking out four and walking three. However, he's been a consistent strike thrower in the minors, compiling 319 strikeouts and 73 walks in 310 minor league innings. He spent most of 2012 in Triple-A New Orleans, forging a 1.04 ERA with 24 strikeouts and just two walks in 26 innings -- and both of the walks were intentional.
For more Red Sox coverage, visit weei.com/redsox [2].
Links:
[1] https://twitter.com/CarrieMuskat/status/278952882051616768
[2] http://www.weei.com/redsox
[3] http://www.weei.com/category/boston/red-sox