Red Sox Underrated Offseason Acquisitions: Ryan Watson

Although the Boston Red Sox weren’t active in the Rule 5 Draft, they swung a trade immediately following the selection process for a right-handed pitcher with interesting pedigree. They landed Ryan Watson, who was selected from the Giants system by the Athletics. Since he was part of the Rule 5 Draft, he retains the Rule 5 roster restrictions; in other words, he has to stick on the big-league roster for the entire season unless he is injured. Just about three weeks ago, it looked like he could be in jeopardy of losing his spot with the Red Sox before his career even began, as the team was facing a 40-man crunch and still needed to add to the bullpen. While the need to add is still there, president of baseball operations Craig Breslow finally traded away Jordan Hicks to the White Sox and likely opened a path for Watson to at least break camp as an important member of the bullpen.

Watson isn’t a direct replacement for Hicks, but he fills a similar role in the bullpen incredibly. Hicks was a flamethrower, but he had very little idea where the ball was going once it left his hand. Watson can’t touch triple digits, but his fastball tops out at 96mph and he controls it well. It’s a pitch that encourages swing and misses, and it pairs well with his secondary offerings: a slider with sweeping tendencies and a curveball that lacks reliable control as currently constructed. The latter needs work, but the slider is his true out pitch.

That offering induced a ridiculous 40.5% chase rate last season, made only remarkable by the fact that batters whiffed at on 39.5% of their attempts to hit it. It grades out as his best pitch by Stuff+ (102) and Watson may benefit from throwing it more to left-handed hitters in the future.

What likely drew the Red Sox to him though, is that he has elite extension and a fastball that has the potential to be dominant. He ended 2025 with a 28.1% strikeout percentage to go along with an 7% walk rate. The rest of his numbers leave a bit to be desired, though. He posted a 4.26 ERA and a 3.73 FIP over 50.2 innings pitched. Running that kind of ERA in Triple-A isn’t ideal, but getting him into Andrew Bailey’s pitching lab will likely do wonders for his approach on the mound. With his FIP running a half-point lower than his ERA last season, there's no denying that he controls a game well from the mound. He will be squarely in the bullpen mix for the Red Sox; they have no need for another depth starter at the moment.

Though there are actually quite a few candidates for this distinction, Ryan Watson is probably the most under-the-radar roster addition of the offseason. What is working in his favor is that this team seems to be one of the best at developing pitchers taken in the Rule 5 Draft. Both Garrett Whitlock and Justin Slaten have carved out important roles for themselves in the bullpen and figure to be stalwarts of the pitching staff for years to come. Watson is hoping that the gamble the Red Sox took on him pays off; if so, he could become a crucial pice on one of the best teams in Major League Baseball.