The Boston Red Sox pitching staff is a hot topic entering the trade deadline. With the Red Sox within striking distance of a playoff spot and the top spot in the American League East Division, adding another arm at the deadline could be enough to have them playing in October for the first time since 2021.
While the Red Sox are evaluating their options over the next several weeks, another pitcher who has called Boston home is also on the move. It’s an arm that spent its time in the Korean Baseball Organization but is looking for another opportunity after being kicked to the curb on Saturday morning.
Former Red Sox Reliever William Cuevas Released From KBO Team
The KT Wiz of the KBO announced on Saturday that they have released right-hander William Cuevas. The move was made after they agreed to a deal with right-hander Patrick Murphy, worth $277,000, and was reported by Dan Kurtz of MyKBO.net.
It’s the latest frustrating chapter for Cuevas, who hasn’t pitched in a major league game since 2018. Cuevas debuted as an international signing by the Red Sox in 2009 and made his way to the majors in 2016. His performance at the major league level (2 earned runs in five innings) wasn’t enough to stick around, and he became a free agent after the 2016 season.
Cuevas signed a minor league contract with the Detroit Tigers for the 2017 season, but his lone major league appearance with Detroit went haywire, allowing four runs in 0.1 innings. He spent the second half of that season with the Miami Marlins and returned to the Red Sox the following winter.
The 2018 season was Cuevas’ most extended amount of major league action as he posted a 7.41 ERA in nine appearances. But he has bounced around since then, including two stints with the KT Wiz and stints with the Los Angeles Dodgers organization and Diablos Rojos del México of the Mexican League.
Murphy is in his own rut as someone who hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2022, but it’s a more dire situation for Cuevas. Now at age 34, Cuevas is not only running out of chances to latch on with a major league, but anywhere else after being released overseas.