The Boston Red Sox are in contention for a playoff spot in the American League, and they tried to solidify their postseason pursuit by adding Drew Pomeranz in a trade on Thursday.
The Sox acquired Pomeranz in a trade with the San Diego Padres for Venezuelan pitching prospect Anderson Espinoza.
Pomeranz pitched in Tuesday’s All-Star Game and is in the middle of his best season. He’s 8-7 with a 2.47 ERA and 115 strikeouts over 102 innings in his first season with the Padres. Boston will be his fifth organization since making his MLB debut with the Rockies in 2011.
Espinoza was signed by Boston for $1.8 million in 2014. He’s just 18 years old and pitching in A-ball. He’s 5-8 with a 4.38 ERA and 72 strikeouts. Recall that he’s only 18, so that’s pretty impressive.
After initially trying to build up a strong team in his first months on the job, GM A.J. Preller is focusing on stripping down the parts and rebuilding with prospects. He’s actually been cleaning out the Red Sox’s organization, as he also acquired Manuel Margot, Javier Guerra, Carlos Asuaje and Logan Allen from them in the Craig Kimbrel trade.
San Diego still has several more trade chips such as Derek Norris, Melvin Upton Jr. and Andrew Cashner if Preller decides to continue dealing.
