Welcome again to the 2025-26 version of Smash or Pass, through which we study potential free agent and commerce targets to find out whether or not the Pink Sox ought to pursue them and what it might take to land them. Right this moment we have a look at a vereran lefy reliever.
Who’s he and the place does he come from?
He’s Tim Mayza. He’s most not too long ago a Philadelphia Phillie, and it was nice that after a considerably prolonged profession, the 33-year-old Allentown, Pennsylvania native may help his childhood staff in a postseason run. Sadly, the staff he was with for the primary seven years of his profession, the Blue Jays, made it to inside an inning of being World Sequence champions. He’s now, according to Chris Cotillo, one in every of few topics of lefty reduction curiosity (lol) for the Pink Sox following another current reviews that, at 38, Justin Wilson could also be calling it a profession. That leaves the staff with round 61 appearances to fill — and that’s not counting Brennan Bernardino’s absence as he was dealt to Colorado.
If you happen to’re asking if his warmup music is sweet, the reply is sure. I grew up listening to Chevelle in a “rebellious center faculty pupil who wears Fox Racing” form of method, so my ears perked up once I heard a more recent Chevelle music blare over the Rogers Middle audio system when he got here into the sport a number of years in the past.
If you happen to’re asking the extra vital query about whether or not he’s an excellent pitcher: form of.
After coming back from a serious shoulder damage suffered whereas with the Pirates (please maintain any jokes about gamers coming back from a current shoulder damage piquing the staff’s curiosity), Mayza regarded a lot better in 2025 than he did in 2024, and improved his FIP from 5.21 to three.03, however he was restricted to only 16 2/3 innings. It is going to be fascinating to see if he can return to his prior kind earlier within the decade.
He’s all the time had a tricky time maintaining maintaining hitters off the basepaths, as he’s by no means positioned inside the prime twenty-five percentile in strikeouts and has struggled with walks at instances, however he dietary supplements that by being a purveyor of floor balls, putting close to the easiest in baseball in 2021. This era of groundball pitchers is one thing that the Pink Sox have been extra drawn to within the Breslow age and even the tail finish of the Bloom years.
TLDR; simply give me his 2025 stats.
16 2/3 IP, 15 Ok, 5 BB, 3.78 ERA
Why would he be an excellent match on the 2025 Pink Sox?
The next are the lefties presently on the Pink Sox 40-man roster who pitched in any form of reduction capability final yr, no matter stage, not named Aroldis Chapman: Payton Tolle, Kyle Harrison, Jovani Moran, and Tyler Samaniego. I’m not completely snug with that listing realizing that Payton Tolle and Kyle Harrison are removed from completed merchandise and that Patrick Sandoval is a big query mark. Tim Mayza gives over 300 innings of Main League expertise in precisely what the Pink Sox desperately want. If you happen to’re John Henry, you additionally love the low-risk monetary phrases a Mayza contract will doubtless value. Plus, he’s an fascinating case as a result of he has large extension (which Breslow loves) and his fundamental pitch is a sinker, which Andrew Bailey little question would see as a enjoyable challenge.
Why wouldn’t he be an excellent match on the Pink Sox?
On account of that current damage, he’s so risky. Mayza has by no means pitched greater than 53 1/3 innings in his profession. The Pink Sox can’t afford too many accidents within the bullpen in 2026. And on condition that the Sox have a plethora of depth choices, why give any high-leverage innings to a man who doesn’t match into the long run plans of the membership when there are a number of youthful arms to judge?
Present me a cool spotlight.
Right here he’s serving a 94 mile-per-hour sinker to Shohei Ohtani, who promptly caught air with the swing.
I have to move right here, and it’s not any indictment on how good I feel Mayza could also be this yr, as a result of it’s doubtless that with a repaired shoulder, he could be a viable reliever if utilized in a seventh inning function. However his velocity isn’t what the Pink Sox often search for. And whereas that isn’t a right away disqualifier, the inconsistencies, together with being lower than 24 months from an ERA over 6, would lead one to need lower-risk reclamation tasks. However don’t be shocked if Mayza, or a participant with comparable expertise and low price ticket, finally ends up on the Opening Day roster.
