Allen Craig (USA TODAY Sports Images)
Major League Baseball’s annual July 31 non-waiver trade deadline ended in a flurry of activity highlighted by the blockbuster trade that sent David Price from the Tampa Bay Rays to the Detroit Tigers. But though both the Tigers and Athletics significantly improved their postseason chances by adding aces Thursday, no team did more this month to improve its long-term outlook than the Boston Red Sox.
Dating back to their July 26 trade of Jake Peavy to the San Francisco Giants, the Sox parted with a slew of players set for free agency after the season — most of whom would not merit qualifying offers and so would not bring back compensatory draft picks. Long out of 2014 contention, the club significantly improved its chances for 2015 with a series of smart deals.
For Peavy, GM Ben Cherington scored Class AAA pitching prospect Edwin Escobar — ranked the No. 56 overall prospect by Baseball America entering the season — and righty reliever Heath Hembree, who has posted gaudy strikeout numbers at every minor league stop.
On Thursday, the Sox first sent ace Jon Lester and outfielder Jonny Gomes — both free agents after the season — to the Oakland A’s for outfielder Yoenis Cespedes and a competitive balance pick.
Soon afterward, they traded pitcher John Lackey and Class A lefty Corey Littrell to the St. Louis Cardinals for struggling slugger Allen Craig and pitcher Joe Kelly. Lackey is the only significant big-league player the Red Sox traded that they controlled for 2015. But because of a clause in Lackey’s contract, he’s slated to earn only the league minimum next season because he had Tommy John surgery in 2011. Some have speculated that Lackey will retire rather than pitch for $500,000.
Later in the day, Cherington flipped lefty reliever Andrew Miller to the Baltimore Orioles for Class AA pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez, who was ranked the No. 65 overall prospect by Baseball America before the season.
(In minor deals, the Red Sox also traded infielder Stephen Drew to the Yankees for utility man Kelly Johnson, and sent struggling pitcher Felix Doubront to the Cubs for a player to be named. Drew and Johnson are both free agents after the season, and Doubront had a 6.07 ERA for the Sox in 2014.)
Yoenis Cespedes (USA TODAY Sports Images)
So Cherington traded all of one player under contract for 2015, and there’s some chance that guy won’t even play. In return, he landed three big-leaguers who can help the Sox return to contention in 2015 and three promising pitchers in the high minors who could contribute sometime soon.
Cespedes, signed through 2015, instantly shores up a corner outfield position at Fenway. A righty bat with power, he should slide into the middle of the Red Sox’ lineup and go to town on the Green Monster.
Craig has struggled this season after three straight good years at the plate. He’s been a good enough hitter at every professional stop that he seems a strong bounce back candidate for 2015, and he is signed to a team-friendly deal through 2017 with a team option for 2018. He’s limited defensively, but versatile — shifting between outfield corners and first base over the past few seasons.
Kelly won’t exactly replace Lester, but he’s a competent Major League pitcher with a career 3.25 ERA, well suited to a spot in the back of the Sox’ rotation or the middle of their bullpen. And he’s under team control through the end of the 2018 season.
Joe Kelly (PHOTO: Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)
Just last year, the Red Sox showed how quickly a team can move from last place to first place with some good moves and good fortune. Their deadline deals show they intend to do the same in 2015, adding sturdy Major League contributors and forcing their ballyhooed prospects to earn their roles in the show.
Don’t go inking them into the 2015 playoffs yet, of course: Cherington just traded away almost the entire starting rotation that helped them to the 2013 championship. But Lester, Max Scherzer and James Shields all look likely to hit the open market come November, and the Sox have the type of minor league depth required to add frontline starters via trade.
