Boston Red Sox: building a champion

Red Sox–Key Players Acquired by Trade

Three of the four best starting pitchers on the Red Sox were acquired in trades. This includes their ace, Chris Sale, along with Rick Porcello and Eduardo Rodriguez. Their top bullpen piece, Craig Kimbrel, was also a trade acquisition.

LHP Chris Sale (6.9 WAR)—Sale was an ace long before he came to Boston in a trade before the 2017 season. Upon becoming a full-time starter with the White Sox in 2012, Sale finished in the top six in AL Cy Young voting every year with Chicago and even received AL MVP votes in his final two years on the south side.

In December of 2016, the rebuilding White Sox traded their ace to the Red Sox for Yoan Moncada, Michael Kopech, Victor Diaz and Luis Alexander Basabe. It was an impressive haul of prospects. Moncada was the #3 prospect in baseball before the 2016 season and the #2 prospect before the 2017 season, according to Baseball America. Kopech was ranked 11th by Baseball America prior to this season and is considered the White Sox’ second-best prospect now. Basabe is currently ranked ninth among the White Sox’ top-30 prospects, according to MLB Pipeline.

Sale has been great with Boston. He finished second in AL Cy Young voting last year and should be in the mix for votes again this year, despite pitching just 158 innings (2.11 ERA, 1.98 FIP). It took two elite prospects to get him, but the Red Sox have to be happy with the results so far.

RHP Rick Porcello (3.1 WAR)—After spending the first six years of his career with the Detroit Tigers, Porcello came to Boston in a trade in December of 2014. The Red Sox acquired Porcello and Gabe Speier for Yoenis Cespedes and Alex Wilson. Cespedes had been acquired by the Red Sox at the trade deadline during the 2014 season for Jon Lester and Jonny Gomes. So, in the grand scheme of things, the Red Sox went from Lester to Cespedes to Porcello.

In four seasons with the Red Sox, Porcello has a 4.19 ERA and 4.02 FIP in 789.7 innings. He was the AL Cy Young winner in 2016, but wasn’t all that good in 2015 or 2017. He was better once again this year, just not as good as he was in his Cy Young season.

LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (3.0 WAR)—At the trade deadline in 2014, when the Baltimore Orioles were on their way to winning the AL East and the Boston Red Sox were destined to finish last in the division, the teams made a trade. The Red Sox traded left-handed reliever Andrew Miller to the Orioles for left-handed starter Eduardo Rodriguez, who was a pitching prospect still a year away from the big leagues.

After the trade, Miller was “the one who got away,” as he became a super reliever for the Orioles, Yankees, and Indians, with a ton of screen time in the postseason the last few years. Rodriguez, who was a top-100 prospect when the deal was made, is a fine pitcher, but he’s no workhorse. He’s never pitched more than 140 innings in a season. He has been okay, though, worth an average of nearly 2 WAR per season with Boston. He hasn’t been as good as Miller, but he still has youth on his side.

RHP Craig Kimbrell (2.3 WAR)—Kimbrel was a stud closer with the Braves from 2011 to 2014 and the Padres in 2015 before coming to the Red Sox before the 2016 season. In the deal, the Red Sox sent Manuel Margot, Carlos Asuaje and Javy Guerra to the Padres for Kimbrel and Logan Allen.

Margot was a top-100 prospect three years running from 2015 to 2017, according to Baseball America. He’s played two full seasons with the Padres and has been roughly a league average player, thanks in large part to his defense. Asuaje hasn’t been as valuable, especially after hitting .196/.286/.280 in 79 games this season. Guerra has a .237/.290/.374 career line in the minor leagues.

In three seasons with the Red Sox, Kimbrel has a 2.44 ERA and 2.43 FIP in 184.3 innings. He’s been an all-star all three seasons and has the second-highest strikeout rate among all relievers with at least 100 innings pitched in the last three years (behind Josh Hader).

INF Brock Holt (1.3 WAR)—When the Red Sox acquired Holt in a trade with the Pirates before the 2013 season, he was an add-on. The main player in the deal for the Sox was reliever Joel Hanrahan. To get Hanrahan and Holt, the Red Sox sent the Pirates Mark Melancon, Jerry Sands, Stolmy Pimentel and Ivan DeJesus. As a Red Sox player, Holt has been a useful guy off the bench who can play multiple positions.

1B Steve Pearce (1.2 WAR)—Along with Nathan Eovaldi and Ian Kinsler, Steve Pearce is one of three players on the Red Sox’ 25-man ALCS roster who was acquired by trade in June or July of this season. In the case of Pearce, it was a June 28 trade with the Blue Jays that brought him to Boston. The Blue Jays received Santiago Espinal in the deal. Espinal ranks 22nd on the Blue Jays’ top-30 according to MLB Pipeline.

In 50 games with the Red Sox post-trade, Pearce hit .279/.394/.507. His greatest skill as an MLB player is his ability to hit left-handed pitching. In his career, he’s a .267/.352/.501 hitter against lefties (130 wRC+) and .250/.326/.416 against righties (103 wRC+).

Other trade acquisitions:

RHP Nathan Eovaldi (0.8 WAR)—July 2018, from Rays

RHP Heath Hembree (0.5 WAR)—July 2014, from Giants

RHP Joe Kelly (0.5 WAR)—July 2014, from Cardinals

2B Ian Kinsler (-0.1 WAR)—July 2018, from Angels