Ryan WatsonBOS · LAA · RP

2026 review

Ryan Watson was a middle-relief innings guy who ended up closing games by season's end. He posted a 4.00 ERA and 1.26 WHIP in 72.0 IP across 53 games, with 4 SV, 8 HLD, 2 BS, a 21.2 K% and a 7.5 BB% over 307 BF for BOS and LAA. BOS designated him for assignment on Aug 4, and LAA claimed him off waivers Aug 7. Undrafted in NFBC drafts, he finished 713th of 1472 in the TDK LABS 5x5 value rank, 427th of 811 pitchers, and 322nd of 575 relievers. His 4.00 ERA ran 0.69 below his 4.69 xERA over 307 BF, and his best month was Jun at a 3.00 ERA in 12.0 IP against a 7.07 ERA in 14.0 IP in Apr. The TDK LABS card tracked the climb: in early May it had him as a Rule 5 long man filling innings behind a thin bullpen, by mid Aug it had him tucked into secondary setup off 2 recent holds, by Sep 1 he had picked up saves but was still next-man-up in a fluid committee, and by late Sep it had him locked into the closer role after the committee's top arm went down for the season.