The Boston Red Sox think they need another outfielder

Here’s a head scratcher for the week: Boston Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington has added depth on top of depth to his clubs outfield situation with the acquisition of Alejandro De Aza. The Orioles will also send cash considerations to Boston and get Double-A pitcher Joe Gunkel in exchange.

A lot of Red Sox fans on Twitter are reacting with tweets like “can [De Aza] pitch?” In lieu of Boston’s 4.41 team ERA, it’s also especially perplexing to note that the club gave up a mildly intriguing pitching prospect for an outfielder who was hitting .214 before his demotion.

Gunkel is a 23-year-old right-hander who had a 3.93 ERA and a K/9 of 10.8 in 18.1 innings pitched with the Double-A affiliate Portland Sea Dogs. Nothing outstanding, but he was getting starts and surely must show some promise if Orioles’ scouts were interested enough in acquiring him.

The Red Sox moved pitcher Brandon Workman to the 60-day DL to accommodate De Aza. Boston already had a surplus of outfielders in Spring Training, so much so that Rusney Castillo did not break camp with the big league team. He’s in Boston now, along with Hanley Ramirez, Mookie Betts, Allen Craig, Shane Victorino, Brock Holt, Daniel Nava and now, the newly acquired De Aza. All players, save for De Aza of course,  have logged regular time in Boston’s outfield in recent seasons.

Trading for a pitcher would make much more sense, but this could merely be a move to setup a future trade closer to the July 31 deadline for a big arm like Johnny Cueto or Cole Hamels.

Nava and Victorino are both currently on the 15-day DL with Jackie Bradley hitting .354 and lurking in Triple-A. De Aza is a career .265 hitter who really does not produce power. His lifetime dWAR of -2.3 would suggest he is nothing special as a defender, either.

You can read an explanation of the deal from manger John Farrell‘s perspective courtesy of WEEI, but it won’t exactly help clarify things. Red Sox left fielder Ramirez cooled off in the month of May substantially, batting only .235 with two home runs and five RBI. While it’s possible De Aza could platoon with him there, he’s not a better option offensively and is mildly a better option on defense.

The best guess still suggests this is a move to prepare for a future, more pivotal trade by the Boston Red Sox. Some shuffling of the lineup can certainly be expected in the coming weeks. Farrell and the Red Sox are 4-6 over their last 10 games and are third place in the AL East.

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