The Boston Red Sox made a major splash by acquiring closer Craig Kimbrel from the San Diego Padres on Friday night in exchange for four prospects.
Outfielder Manuel Margot, shortstop Javier Guerra, infielder Carlos Asuaje, and pitcher Logan Allen head to San Diego as part of the trade.
Kimbrel is regarded as one of the game’s best closers, and the Red Sox will have control of him for the next three seasons if they so desire. He’s due $24 million over the next two years, with a club option of $13 million for 2018.
Kimbrel looked slightly more mortal in 2015 than he had in seasons past, as his ERA rose to 2.58 while his strikeout rate fell to 13.2 batters per nine innings. These numbers still put him in the very top tier of closers, though, and he’s still just 27.
The Red Sox had to part with some quality prospects to get the arm they wanted, though. Manuel Margot, an outfielder, was the 25th best prospect in baseball according to MLB.com’s most recent prospect rankings, while shortstop Javier Guerra was number 76. The Padres may have acquired multiple very good players for a closer that, frankly, they didn’t need.
