MLB Rumors: 2 Teams Linked to RHP Garrett Richards

The Boston Red Sox declined to bring back RHP Garrett Richards after last season and now the veteran hits the open market. While he waits for the lockout to end so he can ink his next contract, we dive into two teams who have serious interest adding the 33-year-old.

Seattle Mariners

The Mariners are going for it next season and have already added AL Cy Young winner Robbie Ray to the rotation and Richards could be next. He's a great candidate to be the fifth starter in Seattle and was in this role for the first half of last season with the Boston Red Sox where he recorded a 4.91 ERA in 91.2 innings of work. The team moved him to the bullpen for the second half of the season but all accounts point to Richards wanting to get back into a rotation for 2022. The Mariners could see him as a great fit for the back end after they tried to piece together a rotation last season and it frankly didn't work. Expect the team to bring in more veterans and set themselves up for some strong internal competition come spring training.

Toronto Blue Jays

Currently the Blue Jays have Ross Stripling and Nate Pearson battling it out for the fifth starter spot and Richards is someone on their radar who could be brought into the mix. He still throws hard, hitting 94MPH on a regular basis with his fastball and his slider and curve have excellent spin rate. Many around baseball are curious why he doesn't throw more curveballs as hitters barely hit over .200 against it in 2021. If he starts in Toronto expect to see a mixed bag of pitches but if he ends up in a long-to-middle relief spot, look for him to turn to his curveball more and focus on mastering two pitches. Toronto has a need for more depth in their bullpen and more options for their rotation, so this match could make perfect sense.