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Monday, December 12, 2011

Red Sox Sign Matt Albers, Rich Hill Becomes A Free Agent


Reliever Matt Albers will be back with the Boston Red Sox in 2012 as the team signed him to a one-year deal, avoiding salary arbitration.

The Red Sox also announced that they wouldn't tender a contract to Milton, MA native Rich Hill (coming off Tommy John surgery) so he becomes a free agent. It's too bad that things didn't work out with Hill in Boston. He could have been the lefty reliever the team desperately needed last season and probably this season too but unfortunately he got hurt in June.

To say last season was rocky for Albers, the former Baltimore Oriole, would be fair. Through about July, he was excellent but then like it usually happens with no-name relievers, the roof caved in on him when Boston needed him most in August and September.

Still, he's only 28 and he proved to be effective at times and durable with 56 appearances. Albers was 4-4 with a 4.73 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, 10 holds and 68 strikeouts in his first season with the Red Sox. He averaged a career-high 9.46 strikeouts per nine innings which shows he can get it done in the AL East.

Finally, the Red Sox tendered contracts to these arbitration-eligible players: Jacoby Ellsbury, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Alfredo Aceves, Mike Aviles, Daniel Bard, Jed Lowrie and Franklin Morales.

Now go get a closer damn it, preferably named Ryan Madson or Andrew Bailey.





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