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Former NFL quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow held a workout in front of “roughly 25” Major League Baseball teams in Los Angeles on Tuesday, according to MLB Network’s Jon Morosi, and reviews of his performance were mixed.  

Participating in the workout as an outfielder, Tebow—who earned all-state honors playing baseball at Allen D. Nease High School in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, according to the Washington Post‘s Marissa Payne—impressed with a 60-yard dash in the ballpark of 6.6-6.8 seconds.

Former MLB pitcher and ESPN broadcaster Dallas Braden relayed video of Tebow’s sprint: 

Morosi reported that the 60-yard dash was officially 6.65 seconds, which would make Tebow an “above-average runner” based on MLB scouting standards. 

However, other scouts in attendance didn’t come away as impressed, according to Bleacher Report’s Scott Miller:  

After showing off his speed, Tebow moved to the outfield—where he struggled a bit more on throws out of right field. 

According to Miller, one scout in attendance graded Tebow’s throwing a 40 on the scouting scale that ranges from 20-80, while another handed out a lackluster mark of 30. 

MLB on Twitter posted several photos of Tebow in action during the fielding portion of the program: 

The highlight of the afternoon, though, was Tebow’s performance at the plate.

Although he went just 1-for-5 with a single and walk against veteran pitcher Chad Smith, per Morosi, Tebow was able to rebound and finish with a rock-solid day at the dish. 

The former Florida Gators standout, who squared off against both Smith and David Aardsma, finished 8-for-19 with two doubles and three strikeouts. 

Tebow also mashed several pitches over the outfield wall during batting practice, as MLB on Twitter documented: 

Scout Media’s Taylor Blake Ward snapped a photo that displayed just how impressive Tebow’s power was: 

“I thought he was OK. Better than I expected, to be honest,” an anonymous MLB scout told USA Today‘s Josh Peter. “For not having played as long as he had, I thought he did OK. That’s a big dude, for as fast as he can run. The power was impressive, but I wish he could have translated it maybe a little better [against live pitching].”

As all of the scouts’ observations suggest, Tebow appeared a bit raw in certain phases of the game. Then again, that should have been expected since he hadn’t been on a diamond like he was Tuesday since turning his attention to football. 

But now that he’s completed his workout, Tebow can focus on fine-tuning his game as he continues to look for a shot in the big leagues. 

When asked whether or not the door was closed on football, Tebow replied, “oh yeah,” per Nate Davis of USA Today.

“I want to be someone to pursue what I believe in, what I’m passionate about,” Tebow said, according to ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick. “A lot of people will say, ‘But what if you fail? What if you don’t make it?’ Guess what, I don’t have to live with regret. I did everything I could. I pushed it.

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Yasiel Puig has had a rough season, and his time with the Los Angeles Dodgers could be coming to an end.

According to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, Los Angeles placed the 25-year-old outfielder on waivers Sunday, meaning he can be traded to whichever team claims him. However, Rosenthal also noted the talented player will more likely be traded in the offseason.

Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports reported one general manager believes it’s “likely” a team will claim the outfielder.

Puig hit just .260 with seven home runs in 81 games at the major league level this season before being sent down to Triple-A at the start of August.

On the plus side, the outfielder has looked better with the Oklahoma City Dodgers of the Pacific Coast League. In 17 games entering Sunday, he had a .375 batting average and a 1.061 OPS as well as four home runs. He also made headlines off the field in a NSFW Snapchat video with him and his teammates partying, via NESN.com on Aug. 9.

“He’s playing well, and he’s assimilated very nicely with his teammates in Oklahoma City,” Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts said, per Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times.

However, the team hasn’t decided the next move for the Cuban star.

On Aug. 20, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reported the Dodgers were “trying to give away Puig,” who was “considered toxic at the moment.” Heyman argued Aug. 25 the organization isn’t desperate to unload the player and instead has turned down offers.

If a team does claim Puig on waivers, the Dodgers will have an opportunity to negotiate a deal exclusively with that club or pull him back for the year. If he clears waivers, Los Angeles could trade him to anyone in the big leagues.

Despite his recent struggles, the outfielder was an All-Star in 2014 while batting .296 with 16 home runs and excellent defense. He also finished second in Rookie of the Year voting behind Jose Fernandez in 2013.

Puig is under contract through the 2019 season.

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San Francisco Giants pitcher Matt Moore fell one out short of throwing the first no-hitter of his career against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday.

With two outs in the bottom of the ninth, Moore gave up a single to shortstop Corey Seager and was immediately pulled from the game, likely due to his high pitch count. Santiago Casilla recorded the final out to seal the Giants’ 4-0 win.

In 8.2 innings, Moore struck out seven batters and walked three on 133 pitches. It was the most pitches a starter has thrown in a game this season, per the Dodgers’ telecast.

In the eighth inning, concerns over whether Moore would be able to go the distance were growing.

He surpassed his season high of 114 pitches in the frame, and by the time Joc Pederson lined out to Denard Span to end the inning, Moore was up to 119 pitches. His previous career high was 120 in 2013. 

But he batted in the bottom of the eighth, which signaled he’d be back on the mound for the ninth inning.

Moore and manager Bruce Bochy discussed the game plan, per CSN Bay Area’s Alex Pavlovic:

Enrique Hernandez made a bid to end the no-hitter, rocketing a line drive to center field to lead off the ninth, but Span made a sliding catch to record the first out.

After going to a 3-2 count against Howie Kendrick, Moore got him to ground out to third base. 

On his bobblehead night, it all came down to Seager to prevent Moore from making history. On the 133rd pitch of Moore’s outing, Seager fisted a blooper over second baseman Joe Panik’s head to spoil the evening. 

While Moore’s wait to achieve one of the greatest feats a major league pitcher can attain will continue, he didn’t seem too broken up about it after the game, per Pavlovic:

Even the Dodgers appreciated Moore’s performance:

Moore was making just his fifth start with the Giants since the Tampa Bay Rays, the team with which he spent the first five seasons of his career, dealt him ahead of the non-waiver trade deadline.

Only once in his career had Moore gone seven innings or more while allowing only one hit. That came in 2012, his second year in the majors, against the Miami Marlins.

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After 22 years and 2,784 MLB games, Alex Rodriguez laced up his cleats for the final time with the New York Yankees on Friday night against the Tampa Bay Rays, going 1-for-4 with an RBI in a 6-3 win.

Rodriguez got the Yankees on the board in the first inning with an RBI double off Rays starter Chris Archer, which scored Brett Gardner from first base to tie the game at 1-1:

Mike Petriello of MLB.com provided the Statcast information on A-Rod’s first-inning hit:

There was some ominous weather before the game, as Joel Sherman of the New York Post noted:

Even though Rodriguez was not done after his first at-bat, New Yorkers are a notoriously impatient group of people. USA Today‘s Ted Berg noted how restless the fans were getting:

Rodriguez’s first-inning double would be the extent of his contributions to the Yankees’ win. He grounded out in the fourth inning, struck out in the fifth and—in his final career at-bat—grounded out to end the seventh inning.

However, that at-bat would not be the last time fans saw Rodriguez in the game. With the Yankees leading 6-3 in the ninth inning, manager Joe Girardi put A-Rod in at third base to make sure he was part of the action one last time.

After Yankees closer Dellin Betances struck out Mikie Mahtook for the first out of the ninth inning, Ronald Torreyes replaced Rodriguez so he could get a proper standing ovation from the New York faithful.

Pinstripe Alley captured a wonderful moment between the two Yankees whose careers are ending in 2016:

ESPN’s Marly Rivera captured an overhead image of the Yankees dugout after Girardi pulled Rodriguez:

After the final out, Wallace Matthews of ESPN.com noted Rodriguez went back onto the Yankee Stadium field to take some dirt as a souvenir. 

The start of the game was delayed for nearly an hour, prompting NBC Sports’ Craig Calcaterra to offer this possible explanation:

Before Friday’s game, some of Rodriguez’s former teammates released statements to congratulate the 41-year-old on a historic career. 

Derek Jeter, who had a season-long retirement tour in 2014, had this to say about Rodriguez, per Teddy Mitrosilis of Fox Sports:

I’ve spent 22 years playing against, playing with and watching Alex from afar, and there are two things that stand out to me the most: the conversations we had when we were young — hoping for the opportunity to play at the Major League level and then somehow finding a way to stick around — and the championship we won together in 2009. That was a season everyone on that team can cherish. What people don’t realize is how much time, effort and work that Alex put in on a daily basis. He lives and breathes baseball. I know it will be difficult for him to not be on the field, but I’m sure he will continue to give back to the game. Congrats, Alex.

Former Yankees closer Mariano Rivera walked onto the field with Rodriguez’s two daughters, as Pinstripe Alley showed:

It was not an easy road for Rodriguez or the Yankees to reach this moment.

A-Rod announced this past Sunday that he would play his last game Friday and the Yankees would unconditionally release him from his contract, at which point he would work as a special adviser with the team through 2017, per Bryan Hoch of MLB.com.

However, Girardi did not play Rodriguez in Boston on Tuesday and gave him one pinch-hit appearance Wednesday before finally putting him in the lineup Thursday and letting him hit third for his final game Friday.

Girardi managed to make Rodriguez a sympathetic figure, telling reporters Wednesday that he didn’t want to make A-Rod the focus, per Maureen Mullen of USA Today:

But I believe that (I) have a responsibility to the organization, to the team, to the players in that room to put out what (I) feel is the best lineup and try to win every game. Also (I) have a responsibility to baseball because there are teams fighting for (playoff) spots here and you have to do what you feel is the best, and that becomes difficult.

No one is going to deny that Rodriguez has been awful this year. He was hitting .199/.247/.348 coming into Friday, but Girardi is just two years removed from playing Jeter every day in the No. 2 spot when he had a .304 on-base percentage. Girardi was hearing it from the New York fans before the game, per Mike Axisa of CBS Sports:

There has been plenty of negativity regarding Girardi’s handling of Rodriguez, but Friday was a moment to celebrate. 

Regardless of any personal feelings fans have toward Rodriguez, he was one of Major League Baseball’s defining stars for two decades. He walks away from the game with three American League MVP awards, 696 home runs, 14 All-Star appearances and one World Series title. 

Rodriguez’s career did not end with the monumental bang that every superstar athlete hopes to achieve before walking away, but his imprint on the sport from the time the Seattle Mariners made him the No. 1 overall pick in the 1993 draft to his final at-bat can’t be understated.

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Texas Rangers slugger Prince Fielder‘s career is over after 12 years in Major League Baseball.

On Wednesday, Fielder officially announced he would no longer be able to play, per TR Sullivan of MLB.com. “I can’t play Major League Baseball anymore,” Fielder said during a press conference. “It sucks to have it taken away early,” he added. 

“It took too much brain to walk in a straight line, that was real…I was thinking, how am I going to hit a fastball,” Fielder said. 

Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports first reported Tuesday that Fielder would announce his decision to step away from the big leagues. 

Rosenthal added Fielder is not retiring, but doctors will not clear him to play. Jon Heyman of Today’s Knuckleball noted Fielder will still receive the $100-plus million still owed on his contract because it’s a medical issue.

Fielder’s deal pays him $24 million per season through 2020, noted Rosenthal.

Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram added that Rangers general manager Jon Daniels said the team has insurance on the contract. Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News noted the Rangers will be committed to Fielder for $9 million per year through 2020.

Fielder will remain on the Rangers roster for the rest of his contract, according to Wilson, who added he’ll be on the 40-man roster in the offseason and the 60-day DL during the regular season. 

After the Rangers defeated the Colorado Rockies 7-5, the club held a postgame meeting to discuss Fielder, according to Wilson, who added the players still aren’t exactly sure what will happen on Wednesday. 

Fielder’s 2016 season ended in July when he underwent neck surgery to repair a C4/C5 disc herniation, per Rangers executive vice president of communications John Blake. 

Before Fielder was forced to go undergo surgery, he looked like a shell of his former self. The 32-year-old was hitting .212/.292/.334 with eight home runs in 89 games.

This campaign marks the second time in three years that Fielder’s season has ended prematurely due to injuries. He required a cervical fusion of the C5/C6 discs in his neck in May 2014. He used to be one of MLB’s great iron men, playing all 162 games four times in five seasons from 2009 to 2013, and he only missed one game in 2010. 

In a bit of sad irony, Baseball-Reference.com noted that Fielder’s 319 career home runs are the same as his father, Cecil Fielder, when his career ended. Prince Fielder also had a terrific .283/.382/.506 slash line in 1,611 career games. 

Fielder was a huge part of the Milwaukee Brewers‘ renaissance, in which they made the playoffs twice in 2008 and 2011, reaching the National League Championship Series in 2011. He led the National League with 50 home runs in 2007, played in six All-Star Games and had four top-10 MVP finishes. 

Even though Fielder was never able to consistently recapture some of his early-career heights after leaving the Brewers, he did play in a World Series in 2012 and an American League Championship Series in 2013 with the Detroit Tigers before he was traded to the Rangers for Ian Kinsler prior to 2014. 

Fielder looked like a throwback slugger because of his big body, but he was an outstanding hitter for average and had a keen eye at the plate to go along with his power. The abrupt end of his career does not define his overall legacy of greatness that started with his debut as a 21-year-old kid in 2005. 

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The Los Angeles Angels designated starting pitcher Tim Lincecum for assignment Saturday, Pedro Moura of the Los Angeles Times reported.

Lincecum started nine games for the Angels, recording a 2-6 record with a career-worst 9.16 ERA. 

Angels manager Mike Scioscia spoke with the media about the decision, per Moura: “It’s very clear now that he hasn’t progressed from his first couple starts. He’s kind of regressed a little bit.”

Scioscia said he hoped Lincecum would accept an assignment to Triple-A, but Moura noted the pitcher “has the right to turn the assignment down and become a free agent, assuming he clears waivers.”

The 32-year-old started his Angels career in impressive fashion June 18, going six innings against the Oakland Athletics while allowing just one run on four hits.

In his following eight starts, he allowed three or more earned runs in each appearance, including a 1.1-inning effort against the Houston Astros on July 24 in which he allowed eight earned runs on seven hits. 

His latest start Friday night against the Seattle Mariners wasn’t much better, as the M’s tagged him for six runs and nine hits in 3.1 innings.

The writing was on the wall when Scioscia was asked if Lincecum would make another start after Friday’s game.

“So, if you ask me right now, I could say yes,” the manager said, per Moura. “But, obviously, we have to sit down, review his video, see where the positives were, and see where we are.”

Lincecum began the season as a free agent while he recovered from the hip surgery he underwent in September.

It was an unceremonious ending to his time with the San Francisco Giants, a team he won a pair of Cy Young Awards with. He saw his play dramatically decrease over the past few seasons, as he compiled a 39-42 record from 2012 to 2015.

He threw 41 pitches in a May showcase for numerous MLB scouts in Arizona as he searched for a new home in the majors.

Given Lincecum’s struggles, he’ll likely go unclaimed on waivers. If that’s the case, he will have to hope another team is willing to give him a chance to prove he can rediscover the form that made him one of the best pitchers in the game five years ago.

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.

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Mired in the worst slump of his career, New York Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira announced his retirement from baseball Friday, effective at the end of the 2016 season, per Pedro Gomez of ESPN:

ESPN’s Buster Olney first reported the news, and Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports confirmed it.

The 36-year-old slugger has been hampered by injuries all season, and he’s hitting just .198 with 10 home runs and 27 RBI. Teixeira hasn’t appeared in more than 123 games in a single season since 2011. He missed nearly all of the 2013 campaign with a wrist ailment, and his 2015 season was cut short due to a fracture in his leg.

Tex was named to his third All-Star team and was enjoying a fine year prior to the leg injury; he was hitting .255 with 31 home runs and 79 RBI in just 111 games. That production lent hope that he would be a key part of the Yanks lineup in 2016, but his stats have taken a nosedive.

The Maryland native was set to hit free agency after the season, and a return to New York was in question due to the impending return of Greg Bird from injury in 2017.

At 54-54 and fourth place in the AL East, the Yankees waved the white flag on the 2016 season after dealing closer Aroldis Chapman, reliever Andrew Miller and outfielder Carlos Beltran for minor league talent.

Teixeira, who played for the Rangers, Braves, Angels and Yankees, has a .269 career batting average with 404 home runs and 1,281 RBI in his 14-year career. He is one of just five switch-hitters in MLB history to go yard at least 400 times.

Teixeira is also regarded as one of the best defensive first basemen of his era, netting five Gold Gloves. He’s likely to fall a tier below the Hall of Fame, though he’s had an excellent career.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.

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One word encapsulated the MLB trade deadline Monday: mayhem.

Several trades took on multiple iterations before being finalized, a slew of top players changed teams and a few squads dramatically upgraded their rosters.

Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports perhaps summed it up best:

For a full list of Monday’s moves, be sure to check out Bleacher Report’s MLB Trade Deadline Tracker.

The deadline bedlam centered on a New York Mets-Cincinnati Reds trade that included Jay Bruce and seemed like a done deal before it hit some bumps in the road.

The original swap would have sent Bruce to the Mets for a package of prospects that included 23-year-old outfielder Brandon Nimmo, according to Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News.

It hit a snag in the afternoon, however, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today:

The Mets, though, were the only suitor for Bruce with the framework of a deal in place, as Passan reported:

And then the trade changed altogether, per the Mets:

“The only thing to do now is go play baseball,” Bruce said of being traded, per Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports. “I’m a baseball player, and that’s what I’m going to do.”

But the Bruce saga didn’t provide the only deadline intrigue.

The Los Angeles Dodgers swung a huge deal, acquiring slugger Josh Reddick and starter Rich Hill from the Oakland Athletics for pitching prospects Jharel Cotton, Grant Holmes and Frankie Montas, per the team.

Andy McCullough ‏of the Los Angeles Times broke down the prospects heading to Oakland:

The Dodgers upgraded their roster without giving up their top prospects, as Joel Sherman of the New York Post noted:

On the other hand, both Reddick and Hill are set for free agency after the season, which Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times couldn’t ignore:

That trade presented another question: Would Yasiel Puig be on the move?

Rosenthal and Buster Olney of ESPN suggested that acquiring Reddick opened the door for a Puig trade:

The Dodgers didn’t trade Puig, and he wasn’t the only big name who wasn’t moved, as Passan joked:

The New York Yankees continued to be sellers, meanwhile, sending Carlos Beltran to the Texas Rangers in exchange for 2015 No. 4 overall pick Dillon Tate and two other prospects, Erik Swanson and Nick Green, according to Jack Curry of YES Network.

It was a great deal for both teams, per Passan:

Passan added the “Yankees are in better position with money, prospects than they’ve been in decade-plus.”

Meanwhile, Jon Heyman of Today’s Knuckleball liked the veteran presences of Beltran and Adrian Beltre in Texas:

The Rangers also nabbed catcher Jonathan Lucroy and closer Jeremy Jeffress in exchange for top prospects Lewis Brinson and Luis Ortiz, per T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com.

“Thank you, Brewers fans, for everything!” Lucroy tweeted Monday afternoon. “Nothing but love and respect from our family. You will always have a special place in our hearts!”

He added: “Now, moving on to the Rangers. Let’s take this bad boy to the ‘ship! Really excited and can’t wait to get after it!”

Monday’s haul put Texas in excellent position, per Passan:

Then there were the San Francisco Giants, who paid a big price to acquire reliever Will Smith from the Brewers, giving up starting pitcher Phil Bickford and catcher Andrew Susac, per Fox Sports.

ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick reported the Giants were ready for the fallout after they traded their top prospect:

San Francisco continued to bolster its pitching Monday, landing starter Matt Moore, according to Passan:

Bleacher Report’s Zachary D. Rymer couldn’t believe the Giants pulled off the deal—and the backlash that followed:

All in all, it was a wild day.

The Mets, Dodgers, Rangers and Giants all made big moves in pursuit of the World Series, albeit perhaps at the expense of their farm systems. Texas looks to have improved the most, while the Mets made a much-needed upgrade to the middle of their lineup and the Dodgers bettered their outfield and starting rotation.

The next question is just how much the trade deadline will affect the postseason. Will the teams that sacrificed vaunted prospects for short-term additions reap rewards? Or will fanbases lament the losses of those prospects while their teams falls short?

You can follow Timothy Rapp on Twitter.

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With the team not quite hitting expectations in 2016, the Oakland Athletics dealt outfielder Josh Reddick and pitcher Rich Hill to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Frankie Montas, Grant Holmes and Jharel Cotton on Monday, the Dodgers announced:

Joel Sherman of the New York Post commented on the deal:

The postseason isn’t a mathematical impossibility for Oakland, but the playoff door has all but closed on the A’s. They’re 47-58 on the year, 14.5 games back of the Texas Rangers in the American League West and 11 games out of a wild-card spot heading into Monday’s slate of games.

As a result, Reddick was a natural candidate to move ahead of the trade deadline. The 29-year-old will be an unrestricted free agent in 2017, per Spotrac, and the Athletics haven’t hesitated in the past to deal veteran stars they weren’t confident of re-signing in the offseason. 

He also has a fair amount of value. In 243 at-bats, he’s hitting .296 with eight home runs, 28 runs batted in and a .449 slugging percentage. 

Buster Olney of ESPN noted the deal might mean the end of Yasiel Puig’s time in Los Angeles:

Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports expounded on that point:

The San Francisco Chronicle‘s Susan Slusser reported on July 9 the A’s and Reddick had discussions on a new contract but couldn’t come to an agreement. Reddick wanted a four-year deal worth $56 million, while Oakland offered him $36 million over three years.

While the left-handed slugger has become a fan favorite in the Bay Area and has been productive at the plate, it’s easy to see why the Athletics would balk at giving him a four-year contract.

He’ll turn 30 in February, and durability has been a major issue over the last four years. Between 2013 and 2014, Reddick missed a combined 101 games as a result of a sprained wrist and a knee injury. Then in May, he fractured his thumb on a slide into second base:

And for all of Reddick’s progress as a hitter, he remains a massive liability against left-handed pitching. His performance against lefties in 2016 (.172 average) is even below his career average (.222), per Baseball-Reference.com.

Hill, 36, is 9-3 with a 2.25 ERA and 1.09 WHIP. He’s emerged as a surprise borderline All-Star after compiling a total of four starts between 2010 and 2015. While few have ever questioned his talent, Hill has been a regular on the disabled list and seemed to be at a loss when it came to staying on the field over the last half decade. 

Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe highlighted how far he’s come:

Oakland also needs to restock its farm system after selling off much of its best minor league stars to build a contending team from 2012 to 2014. Baseball Prospectus ranked the A’s organization 17th to start the 2016 season.

Holmes and Montas are the two prizes of the deal. Holmes was the Dodgers’ first-round pick in 2014, and at age 20, he has shown real promise as a power pitcher. Montas, 23, is much closer to making a big league impact, having made his MLB debut last September before returning to the minors for 2016. He’s gone through an injury-plagued campaign but was still one of the best prospects in L.A.’s system.

Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports was impressed by the A’s haul:

Ted Berg of For the Win weighed in:

Based on his injury history, trading for Reddick is a slight gamble for the Dodgers. Los Angeles is also running the risk of parting with valuable assets now and then watching Reddick sign with somebody else in the offseason.

All things considered, though, the Dodgers couldn’t have realistically found a much better way to improve their offense ahead of the deadline. Reddick is a good hitter when healthy, and players of his caliber are available in short supply at this time of the year.

A deep run in the postseason will more than justify the cost for Los Angeles, even if Reddick proves to be a half-season rental.

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The Boston Red Sox reportedly acquired left-handed pitcher Fernando Abad from the Minnesota Twins in exchange for right-handed pitcher Pat Light on Monday, according to Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. 

Jon Heyman of Today’s Knuckleball was the first to report the news, noting the deal is “pending medicals.”

Abad, 30, is 1-4 this season with a 2.65 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 29 strikeouts in 34.0 innings pitched. He also has six holds and a save and has held left-handed hitters to a .163 average this season. 

Light, 25, has gone 1-1 with a 2.32 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and seven saves in 31.0 innings pitched at Triple-A Pawtucket this year. He also has a fastball that has hit 100 mph in the past, per Berardino. He isn’t a top prospect but is ranked highly within Boston’s farm system:

Abad, meanwhile, will add much-needed depth to a bullpen that has seen both Craig Kimbrel and Koji Uehara miss significant time this season, though Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald thinks the team should continue bolstering the roster:

With Kimbrel returning but Uehara still out of action, Abad will likely play a major role in the seventh and eighth innings for Boston alongside Junichi Tazawa. Either pitcher may be utilized as the setup man depending on the opposing team’s lineup. 

If nothing else, Abad gives the Red Sox a specialist against left-handed hitters, as he’s been superb in that capacity in 2016. With the team mired in a battle for the postseason, Abad was a much-needed addition to a bullpen that has battled through a number of injuries to key players this season.

You can follow Timothy Rapp on Twitter.

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