Boston Red Sox Trade for Aaron Hill from Milwaukee Brewers

The Boston Red Sox have struck a deal to bring in the Brewers’ veteran third baseman Aaron Hill to help an offense that has fallen off a bit since the start of June. How will this trade affect the Red Sox roster and what does it mean for Boston’s current third baseman, Travis Shaw?

Most people thought that when the calendar hit July, the Boston Red Sox would address their below average starting rotation, but the club has opted to make a trade to help better their offense first, in order to offset some of their recent struggles at the plate.

Boston has traded minor leaguers Aaron Wilkerson and Wendell Rijo to the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for third baseman Aaron Hill.

Hill was acquired this past January by the Brewers in a trade that sent shortstop Jean Segura among others to the Diamondbacks. Hill will be a free agent come the end of this season.

In his only year in Milwaukee, Hill has been a stable force in a young lineup. So far in 2016, the 34-year-old infielder has hit for a batting average of .283, in addition to his eight home runs. He has also been solid in the field as an everyday third baseman, committing only two errors even though his range was not what it once was. He will also be able to play multiple positions for the Red Sox in the infield as he has played second base primarily during his 12 year career, even though Dustin Pedroia has been very good for the Sox this season.

Boston likely made this trade to ease some of the pressure off of their rookie third baseman Travis Shaw, who has cooled down after an extremely hot start. Once hitting around .300 for the first month or two of this year, Shaw is now sitting at a batting average of .274 and getting on base at a .336 clip.

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While these numbers are still solid for a player with such little experience, Hill will be a strong veteran presence for the 26-year-old and for the many other young position players on Boston’s roster. They will most likely be part of a platoon situation at third base with Shaw hitting only .211 against lefties this year.

As for Milwaukee, this trade allows them to give younger players like former Red Sox Will Middlebrooks and Hernan Perez a chance to impress the Brewers front office. Considering the team’s struggles and the fact that Aaron Hill is an impending free agent, the Brewers were best off trading him at this point in the season, and what they got back in terms of minor league talent does have potential.

Wendell Rijo is a second baseman who ranked 17th in a strong Boston farm system. The 20-year-old has most recently been playing for the Red Sox’s High-A affiliate in 2016 after an unsuccessful stint in Double-A. Rijo has some offensive potential for being a second baseman and is an asset on the base paths as well.

The Brewers also receive a pitcher close to making a major league contribution in Aaron Wilkerson. He may be a bit older at 27 years of age, but he has been dominating in Triple-A this year as a starting pitcher. Wilkerson currently has an ERA of 2.44 and has struck out 54 batters over 48 innings pitched. He could look to snatch a couple of starts this season for the Brewers, especially if they trade Matt Garza.

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Overall, the Red Sox may have felt a need to do something as they have fallen behind the Baltimore Orioles in the past couple of weeks. Hill is a veteran who can help stabilize the Red Sox offense and the Brewers did well in getting good value for him. Just don’t expect this to be the last move the Red Sox make this month with their starting rotation still needing to be addressed.

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