Red Sox Trade Key High-Leverage Reliever For High-A Prospect
The Boston Red Sox have mostly been in the headlines this season for their lack of activity, but they may be starting to wake up.
Boston still needs to strengthen their pitching staff, but continue to kick that can down the road and focus on the years to come.
"Trade news: The Kansas City Royals are acquiring right-handed reliever John Schreiber from the Boston Red Sox for minor league right-hander David Sandlin," ESPN's Jeff Passan reported on Saturday morning. "Royals get an arm for a pen that needed it, Sox get a pitching prospect with strikeout stuff."
Schreiber had a 3.86 ERA, 53-to-25 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .237 batting average against and a 1.41 WHIP in 46 2/3 innings pitched across 46 games last season. He was under team control through 2027, so the reason behind the move is unclear.
In return for Schreiber, Boston gets a promising young arm in David Sandlin. Last year, the righty posted a 3.51 ERA with an 87-to-18 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .253 batting average against and a 1.22 WHIP in 66 2/3 innings pitched across 14 starts between the Single-A Columbia Fireflies and High-A Quad Cities River Bandits.
The 23-year-old is exactly the kind of arm the Red Sox's farm system needed but Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow talked about prioritizing Major League Baseball wins just days ago and then does this.
Although the future may be bright for Sandlin, this trade digs the Red Sox into a deeper hole for this season. The immediate need for pitching just got tougher to fill as Schreiber provided a serviceable arm coming out of the bullpen.
This is the latest of many moves that prove that Boston does not plan to compete in the near future.
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