Boston Red Sox sign former Angels, Jays pitcher to minor league deal

The Boston Red Sox have signed right-handed relief pitcher Taylor Cole to a minor league deal that includes an invitation to spring training.

What to know about the Boston Red Sox signing Taylor Cole to a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training

Taylor Cole, 32, has not pitched for a Major League Baseball team since 2019 when he appeared in 38 games for the Los Angeles Angels, posting a 5.92 ERA and 1.59 WHIP in 51.2 innings. It was a stark disappointment after a 2018 campaign with the Angels where he logged a 2.75 ERA in 18 games (36.0 innings).

In the previous season (2017), Cole made his MLB debut with the Toronto Blue Jays, appearing for one inning on August 9 against the New York Yankees. However, the debut did not go as planned for the Blue Jays as Cole gave up four runs on six hits along with a walk and a hit batter in the frame.

It would be the only action he would see with Toronto before electing free agency after the season and eventually signing with the Angels.

He was a part of the alternate training site with the Angels during the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign.

Cole has started eight of the 57 MLB games in which he has appeared and, although he began his minor league career primarily as a starter, he has started in just one of his last 52 minor league appearances. With that in mind, look for Boston to see if there is a place for him in the bullpen during spring training.

On a side note, Cole is also proud to be “a cat dad” and talked in a YouTube episode about that, why it was important to him to build a cat enclosure for his furry friends, and a few other interesting tidbits about him (including his need for neatness in his life and the locker room and how he deals with his severe peanut allergy) that you can hear below.

He will likely start the season at Triple-A and wait for an opportunity to contribute to the Red Sox bullpen as the campaign rolls along.