It's Silly Season, folks! The trade deadline is tomorrow at 4 PM EDT and the Twitterverse is in a tizzy over who got pulled from a game, pinch hit for, subbed in the field, or was on the receiving end of a goodbye hug in the dugout. As the Red Sox were defeating the Mariners 8-2 this evening, the trade whirlwind surrounding the team was spinning faster than Aroldis Chapman's triple-digit heater. As Brandon Workman was striking out 9 batters en route to earning his first major league win, his presumed replacement in the rotation was the subject of a 3-team deal involving the Red Sox, White Sox, and Tigers.
Jake Peavy is the newest member of the Red Sox. With Matt Garza dealt to the Rangers and Cliff Lee's price tag prohibitively high (think Xander Bogaerts), Peavy represented the best pitcher available on the trade market. His ERA for this season is on the high side, but part of that is due to poor defense behind him on the White Sox. He's said to be a solid #3 starter who could slot in after Lester and Lackey, pushing Doubront and Dempster to the back of the rotation. Peavy makes the rotation deeper and that is needed coming down the stretch.
The price for Peavy (and Tigers reliever Brayan Villareal, who will be assigned to Pawtucket as a depth option) was Jose Iglesias and a few low-level minor leaguers. Prized prospects Bogaerts, Bradley, Cecchini, Webster, De La Rosa, and Workman stay put, as does Middlebrooks. Iglesias goes to the Tigers, who have enough offense in their lineup to carry the questionable bat that goes along with Iggy's fabulous glove. That glove will be missed, but the Red Sox offense needs a little more production out of the left side of the infield, particularly a power position like third base.
So who's on third now that Iggy's in the Motor City? Middlebrooks is a possibility and so is Xander Bogaerts. Bogaerts is only 20, but he can give the Red Sox lineup a spark not unlike Jacoby Ellsbury did six years ago (was it really that long?) or Manny Machado last year in Baltimore. Middlebrooks has the major league experience, but very recently, John Farrell voiced some concern about the young third baseman's lack of consistency in his AAA plate appearances. If he's still struggling to hit AAA pitching, how can he be ready to contribute at the major league level? That is why I think Bogaerts might be the better choice, even if his natural position is shortstop. The only caveat is that if Bogaerts nails down third base, who plays short next season? Would it really be fair to ask him to change positions only to have to change back next year? That said, I would prefer either Middlebrooks or Bogaerts to trading for Michael Young, who doesn't have enough power to compensate for a lack of glove.
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