With free agency coming up and being left off of the ALDS roster, Junichi Tazawa looks to have played his last game in a Boston Red Sox uniform.
Evan Drellich of The Boston Herald reported that Tazawa “fell out of favor in mid- to late-August, during a six-game span in which he allowed 10 earned runs. A right shoulder impingement in July was, in some way, the beginning of the end for his time as a trusted late-inning option.”
Tazawa was put on the outside of the division series roster, looking in on relievers like Matt Barnes, Joe Kelly, Craig Kimbrel, Robbie Ross Jr., Koji Uehara, and Brad Ziegler. Even Drew Pomeranz was given relief duties in Game 1 against the Cleveland Indians, demonstrating the same strategy that many teams use in the postseason: a starter can make just as good a reliever.
Through a translator, Drellich recorded Tazawa’s remarks regarding his future with the Red Sox: “It’s out of my hands. The team will make the decision. I feel fine physically. Obviously, I haven’t been throwing that much. So I feel fine.”
Since it’s not an injury or fatigue that kept Tazawa off of the roster, the other reason for the snub would be that the team felt more comfortable giving the other relievers the ball over him. According to FanGraphs.com, Tazawa was pretty good facing left-handed bats, keeping them to only a .205 batting average; however, the .273 average against righties was a major problem. Six home runs and 17 earned runs in 26.2 innings made right-handed hitting Tazawa’s downfall.
Aug 31, 2016; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Red Sox pitcher Junichi Tazawa (36) reacts after giving up two runs at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports
His fastball was still reaching almost 93-mph on average, with five different pitches in his arsenal. Considering how important Tazawa was to the 2013 World Series championship run, one may have argued that his experience alone would have given him a leg up on some of the other relievers.
Take Barnes, for example. No reliever for the Red Sox has thrown more innings (66.2) than Barnes, despite his .248 opposing batting average. Tazawa’s overall average stood at .245. His walks-to-strikeouts ratio was 0.44, much higher than Tazawa’s 0.26 ratio. Both men also allowed almost the same percentage of runs per inning, with Barnes edging Tazawa by one percent.
At 30 years of age, Tazawa may have just been too old to see deserving more playoff experience. Barnes is only 26 years old, and the Red Sox could use him to develop some experience in the postseason, not just for this run but also in the years to come. Why would the Red Sox bring a pitcher who likely would not see much in terms of relief appearances, if at all, when the team knows that his services this year do not warrant another contract in the offseason?
Tazawa will always be remembered for his heroics in 2013, helping out the bullpen, especially during the playoffs. He went 7.1 innings, allowing an earned run on six hits, one walk, and six strikeouts. He appeared in the ALDS, ALCS, and in the World Series during that championship run, supporting the set-up role for Uehara to close out the victories. However, that Tazawa seems to be gone now. What’s left are just happy memories to ponder and well-wishes in his future endeavors to come his way, not a new contract in Boston.
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