The Boston Red Sox are looking for a happy Memorial Day weekend after taking two of three games from the New York Mets this week. With a three-game series against the last-place Baltimore Orioles coming up, Boston has a chance to make up ground in the AL East and establish some momentum in the final week of May.
While the Red Sox are excited to get back on the field, some of their former players are looking for work. A former Boston reliever has made a tour of the MLB after running out of options back in 2020 and once again got kicked to the curb after a slow start to the season.
Brewers Dump Former Red Sox Reliever Joel Payamps
The Milwaukee Brewers announced on Thursday that they have designated right-handed reliever Joel Payamps for assignment. The move came after Payamps struggled to begin the season, allowing 17 earned runs and posting an 8.35 ERA in 18.1 innings but it’s not new territory for the 31-year-old.
Payamps began his career as an international signing in the Colorado Rockies organization and made his debut with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2019. He ran out of minor league options in 2020 and has spent the last five years with as many different teams.
The Red Sox were one of Payamps’s most frequent stops even though he never pitched a game for the franchise. Boston claimed him on waivers from Arizona after the 2021 season and then claimed him again after a 12-day stint with the Toronto Blue Jays. Payamps also was part of the Oakland Athletics and Kansas City Royals at one point and was traded to the Brewers as part of the trade that sent Sean Murphy to the Atlanta Braves and William Contreras to Milwaukee.
It seemed like Payamps had found a long-term home after posting a 2.78 ERA in 129.2 innings since joining the Brewers. But this year’s disaster has him looking for work again. While the Red Sox bullpen currently ranks 12th in the majors with a 3.62 ERA, it’s unlikely that they’ll take another shot at Payamps — especially with former chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom now with the St. Louis Cardinals.
If Payamps arrives with the Brewers’ NL Central rival, it would mark another stop for a player who has somehow found a way to stay in the league the past five seasons.