Yesterday, the Oakland Athletics traded closer Andrew Bailey and outfielder Ryan Sweeney to the Boston Red Sox for outfielder Josh Reddick, right-hander Raul Alcantara and first baseman Miles Head. Bailey will likely slide into the Red Sox closer’s role.
Over his three seasons as the A’s finisher, Bailey maintained an ERA of 2.07 to go with his impressive 0.954 WHIP. The right hander averaged 25 saves per season while holding a career SO/9 of 9.0 and BB/9 of 2.5.
After holding ERA’s south of 2.00 during his first two seasons, Bailey finished 2011 with a mark of 3.24 over his 42 appearances and 41 2/3 innings pitched. Bailey’s strikeout and walk numbers remained close to his career averages while his WHIP sat at 1.104.
Along with Bailey, the Red Sox brought in outfielder Ryan Sweeney. Since joining the A’s in 2008, Sweeney has hit at a clip of .286/.347/.383. Last season Sweeney managed a line of .265/.346/.341 over his 299 plate appearances.
The centerpiece of the Bailey trade is 24-year-old outfielder Josh Reddick. Before last season, Reddick had played sparingly at the major league level. But, in 2011 the youngster received 278 plate appearances and made the most of his opportunity. Reddick hit at a clip of .280/.327/.457 with 28 extra base hits for the Red Sox.
Along with Reddick, the Red Sox received prospects Miles Head and Raul Alcantara.
Head, taken in the 26th round of the 2009 draft, split last season between the Red Sox Low and High-A affiliates. Combined, Head managed a line of .299/.372/.515 with 37 doubles, 22 home runs and 82 RBI’s over his 557 plate appearances. Over his three seasons in the minors, Head has maintained an OPS of .797.
Alcantara is a right-handed starter that spent most of last season pitching in Rookie ball. The 19-year-old finished 2011 with an ERA of 2.20 and a 0.918 WHIP while maintaining a SO/9 of 6.9 and a BB/9 of 1.7.
For more on the Red Sox and Athletics, be sure to check out BoSox Injection and Swingin’ A’s.