The SF Giants traded right-handed relief pitcher Mauricio Llovera to the Boston Red Sox for right-handed relief-pitching prospect Marques Johnson on Wednesday night. Llovera has been a solid middle reliever with the Giants over the past two seasons but was out of options and designated for assignment last week. The Giants have assigned Johnson to Single-A San Jose.
Johnson was drafted by the Red Sox in the 11th round of the 2022 MLB Draft out of Long Beach State, agreeing to turn pro for a $122,500 signing bonus. Johnson did not make his pro debut until this year and has struggled with the Red Sox Single-A affiliate in Salem. This season, Johnson has a 6.55 ERA in 34.1 innings pitched (28 appearances) with 43 strikeouts and 24 walks.
Johnson, 23, will need to significantly improve his command to reach the majors. However, he remains an intriguing prospect despite his struggles. Johnson's fastball sits in the mid-90s with sharp cut and extremely high spin rates, per SoxProspects.com's Ian Cundall. Moreover, in his past nine appearances (11.2 innings pitched), Johnson has a 2.31 ERA with 16 strikeouts and just two walks.
Over the past two seasons with the Giants, Llovera recorded a 3.74 ERA with 25 strikeouts and 10 walks across 21.2 innings pitched (22 games) in the majors and has been even more dominant at Triple-A. In all of his stints, the 27-year-old righty has looked like an MLB-ready middle reliever. However, with a healthy bullpen, the Giants could not option him back to the minor leagues without subjecting him to waivers once they added him to the 40-man roster. So, the Red Sox took advantage.
More must-reads: