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Red Sox Reportedly Sign Ex-Astros Prospect To Bolster Infield Depth

Boston added some organizational depth Tuesday
Scott Neville|
Red Sox Reportedly Sign Ex-Astros Prospect To Bolster Infield Depth
Red Sox Reportedly Sign Ex-Astros Prospect To Bolster Infield Depth

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Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox finally made an addition to the middle infield -- but one that fans aren't going to be excited about. 

"Former (Oakland Athletics) infield prospect Edwin Díaz has signed a minor-league deal with the Red Sox," The Athletic's Melissa Lockard reported.

Most fans would be over the moon to hear about Edwin Díaz joining the Red Sox organization. Unfortunately, this is not the All-Star closer with the best walk-out song in Major League Baseball. No, he still resides in Queens with the New York Mets.

Instead, Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom acquired a defensive-minded utility infielder, who spent the bulk of his career in the Athletics' organization before joining the Houston Astros last season.

Díaz's strengths are his defensive capabilities as well as his versatility. Throughout his lengthy minor-league career, he has logged 148 appearances at third base, 132 at shortstop, 26 at first base and 19 at second base.

The 27-year-old has yet to reach the big leagues, largely due to his lackluster results at the plate. Díaz hit .193 with 21 extra-base hits including 12 home runs, 41 RBIs, a horrendous 106-to-25 strikeout-to-walk ratio and .639 OPS in 74 games between Double-A and Triple-A last season. 

Outside of solid power, Díaz leaves much to be desired offensively. 

As it stands now, Christian Arroyo and Kiké Hernández are the only major-league caliber, healthy middle infield options. Still, the Red Sox will continue to add, so Díaz should be viewed as nothing more than organizational depth. 

No need to panic.

More MLB: Red Sox Reportedly Sign All-Star Slugger To Bolster Outfield

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Scott Neville
SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the Boston Red Sox for Sports Illustrated's "Boston Red Sox On SI." Before launching the site (formerly called Inside The Red Sox), Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer.  His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series," where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join the Sports Illustrated Media Group (rebranded to On SI) in his current endeavor as the publisher of "Boston Red Sox On SI." Since then, he's added eight more regional sites with the company. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: scott@moreviewsmedia.com

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