The Seattle Mariners and Boston Red Sox completed a trade from April with outfielder Eric Filia going from Seattle to Boston as the PTBNL.
In April, the Seattle Mariners acquired left-handed pitcher Roenis Elias from the Boston Red Sox for a player to be named later (PTBNL) or cash. Today, the PTBNL was announced: outfield prospect Eric Filia, a 25-year-old getting his first taste of Double-A action this season.
Since the trade to the Seattle Mariners, Elias has spent most of this season with the Tacoma Rainiers in Triple-A. He has a 4.94 ERA (4.02 FIP) in 31 innings. The Mariners brought him up two weeks ago and he’s pitched twice so far, both times in relief.
Eric Filia got a late start to this season because of a 50-game suspension for a substance of abuse. Since he’s been back on the field with the Double-A Arkansas Travelers, he’s hit .426/.508/.537. As he’s done at every professional level, he’s hit well, and his plate discipline is impressive: 14 percent walk rate and 6 percent strikeout rate.
#Mariners trade Eric Filia to the Red Sox as the player to be named later for Roenis Elias. Filia has been tearing it up for Class AA Arkansas since his 50-game suspension for a drug of abuse.
— Ryan Divish (@RyanDivish) June 12, 2018
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The Mariners drafted Filia in the 20th round out of USC in 2016. After being drafted, he hit .362/.450/.496 in 68 games with the Everett Aquasox in the Northwest League (short-season A). He showed off his plate discipline with 40 walks against just 19 strikeouts. The Aquasox had a terrific second half and made the playoffs. They ended up coming one win short of a Northwest League championship
Last year, Filia was the best hitter on the Double-A Modesta Nuts, hitting .326/.407/.434. Once again, he walked more than he struck out. He also helped the team win the North division of the California League. They swept their way through the Semifinals and Finals to win the league title.
Filia’s success earned him a spot on the Peoria Javelinas in the Arizona Fall League. The Javelinas had some very good prospects, including Ronald Acuna, Jr., Luis Urias, nd Austin Riley. Filia outhit them all with a .408/.483/.605 batting line. He also walked 12 times and struck just seven times. The Javelinas won the title game over the Mesa Solar Sox.
Ronald Acuna, Jr. won the MVP Award for the league, but Filia was every bit as productive with the bat. He led the league in batting average and on-base percentage. He also received the AFL’s Dernell Stenson Sportsmanship Award.
So why is this guy a PTBNL? He’s had success at every level he’s played. He has a career .343/.428/.460 batting line, with 114 walks and 68 strikeouts in 924 minor league plate appearances. He’s raking in Double-A right now. This seems like highway robbery for the Red Sox.
Well, maybe it’s highway robbery. Filia has been old for every level he’s played. Two years ago, he was a 23-year-old playing in Low-A, where the average age is 20.9. Last year, he was a 24-year-old playing in High-A, where the average age is 22.4.
This year, he’s a 25-year-old playing in AA, where the average age is 23.8. Teams like prospects who are young for their level, not a year or two older. That takes some of the shine off of Filia’s outlook.
There’s also the 50-game suspension earlier this year for a substance of abuse. It was his second positive test. Based on the minor league baseball testing program, a drug of abuse is either a recreational drug such as marijuana, cocaine or amphetamines. Rumor has it that the substance is marijuana. To some, that’s a blemish on his record.
Despite Filia’s flaws, this still feels like a win for the Red Sox. Yes, Filia has been old for the leagues he’s played in, but he has hit at every level. Also, at this point, most Americans support the legalization of marijuana. You can debate whether minor league players should be punished for using a substance that’s legal for recreational use in nine states, but I don’t think anyone believes it’s a performance enhancer.
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The Seattle Mariners are in win-now mode, and they believe Roenis Elias helps them more this year than Filia. They haven’t made the playoffs since 2001 and are in good position to end that drought this year. Filia is the price they paid for a veteran left-handed pitcher. We won’t know how much they gave up until a few years from now.