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| UPDATED: Red Sox acquire Adam LaRoche for two prospects | 07.22.09 at 1:00 pm ET |
WEEI.com has confirmed that the Red Sox and Pirates are close to finalizing a deal that would send first baseman Adam LaRoche of the Pittsburgh Pirates to Boston in exchange for two minor leaguers. Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette was the first to report the news.
LaRoche is a power-hitting first baseman who has averaged 24.5 homers over the past four seasons with the Braves and Pirates. He is hitting .247 with a .329 OBP and .441 slugging mark for the Pirates this year, down from career totals of .269/.338/.486.
According to multiple baseball sources, the Pirates will receive shortstop Argenis Diaz and pitcher Hunter Strickland when the deal is finalized. Diaz is known as a gifted defensive player with incredible tools, but there are questions about his bat, and his defensive focus has at times come into question, resulting in high error totals (he has committed 18 errors this year).
The 22-year-old Diaz is hitting .253/.309/.310 with Double-A Portland this year. He has not hit any homers this year. After he got off to a terrific start in April (hitting .289 with a .769 OPS), he hit .246 with month-by-month OPS totals of .587 in May, .609 in June and .567 in July. His ceiling is considered that of a major-league backup infielder, but for him to achieve that status, he would have to show greater consistency in the field. Diaz was added to the 40-man roster following the 2007 season. Pirates G.M. Neal Huntington had this to say about Diaz in the Pirates’ official press release announcing the deal:
“Diaz is an intriguing shortstop prospect who projects to play above-average defense with soft hands, good first step quickness and an above average throwing arm,” said Huntington. “He is developing on the offensive side of the baseball, but Argenis quickly becomes the best defensive shortstop prospect in our system.”
Strickland, an 18th round pick in 2007, is 5-4 with a 3.35 ERA for the Greenville Drive of the Single-A South Atlantic League this year. The 6-foot-5 20-year-old has shown excellent command for the Drive, with a 51-13 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 83.1 innings this year.
He shows advanced command for his age of a fastball that is in the vicinity of 90 mph, and his frame suggests the possibility of a future uptick in velocity as he fills out. He also has a decent changeup, but he has yet to show a consistent breaking ball that he can use as a complementary pitch. His development of that pitch will, in all likelihood, determine the quality of the Pirates’ return in this deal (aside from the salary relief they will achieve by moving LaRoche). This is what Huntington had to say in the Pirates’ press release:
“Strickland is a young developing right-handed starting pitching prospect with a good frame, solid delivery, clean arm action and an interesting pitch arsenal,” said Huntington. “He is a quality strike thrower with a fastball that has averaged as high as 93 miles per hour, with the potential for a major league caliber breaking ball and changeup to complement his fastball.”
LaRoche is eligible for free agency following this season. He is playing on a one-year, $7.05 million deal in 2009, his last as an arbitration-eligible player. His brother, Andy, was part of the three-team deal that sent Jason Bay to Boston and Manny Ramirez to Los Angeles last July 31.
The first baseman has struggled of late, hitting .138/.167/.241 in July. Throughout his career, however, he has been a significantly better hitter following the All-Star break, with a career second-half line of .296/.357/.544 and a .901 OPS, compared to first-half marks of .252/.326/.447/.773.
Because Diaz was on Boston’s 40-man roster, LaRoche will be able to take his spot. It remains to be seen, however, how the Sox will clear a spot on their 25-man major-league roster for LaRoche.
Hunter Strickland went 5-4 with one save and a 3.35 ERA (83.1ip/31er) in 18 appearances (12 starts) this year for the Single-A Greenville Drive of the South Atlantic League. The 20-year-old Strickland entered the season with a career record of 5-5 and 3.94 ERA (96.0ip/42er) in 24 games (16 starts) since being selected by the Red Sox in the 18th round of the 2007 First-Year Player Draft. Last year with Single-A Lowell of the New York-Penn League, Strickland posted a 3.18 ERA (70.2ip/25er) in 15 games (10 starts), which ranked fifth among all Red Sox minor leaguers. Strickland finished the season by posting a 0.43 ERA (20.2ip/1er) in his last four starts.
“Strickland is a young developing right-handed starting pitching prospect with a good frame, solid delivery, clean arm action and an interesting pitch arsenal,” said Huntington. “He is a quality strike thrower with a fastball that has averaged as high as 93 miles per hour, with the potential for a major league caliber breaking ball and changeup to complement his fastball.”
Though there had been reports that the Pirates would send money to the Red Sox to cover part of the remaining $2.95 million of LaRoche’s salary this year, Kovacevic reports that no money will move from Pittsburgh to Boston.
15 Comments for “UPDATED: Red Sox acquire Adam LaRoche for two prospects”
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July 22nd, 2009 at 1:02 pm
Adam LaRoche is a journeyman at best–why they ever offered him the $7 million-plus for this year is absolutely crazy–an average hitter with a good glove–his track record>> improved his numbers offensively, after the Pirates were already out of contention…best of luck with the Red Sox.
July 22nd, 2009 at 1:08 pm
And the Mets couldnt offer more than this?
We could have used Laroche a month ago..
July 22nd, 2009 at 1:11 pm
PrepLoco,
As a Pirate fan, I can say with 100 percent confidence that NO ONE could have used LaRoche a month ago. This guy has been in a big time slump since April. His only plus is that he’s a VERY GOOD defensive firstbaseman.
July 22nd, 2009 at 1:12 pm
this is a great trade for the red sox. laroche is a fantastic guy in the clubhouse, a guy who often cooks big pots of chili for his teammates and has been known to cry when they bring in pictures of their new babies.
I honestly expect this to vault the team to the world series.
July 22nd, 2009 at 1:20 pm
Hey Morris the Cat-
You write LaRoche “has been known to cry when they bring in pictures of their new babies.”
Dude, there’s no crying in baseball!
July 22nd, 2009 at 1:22 pm
It’s not LaRoche’s fault because he played for a terrible team in Pittsburgh. He is not a leader, but a follower. He will be great in Boston.
July 22nd, 2009 at 1:23 pm
tony, that’s in the movies. in real clubhouses, there’s a ton of crying. the pirates usually have lifetime network on and no one is ashamed to bawl their eyes out before a game. they say it’s refreshing and gets the endorfins flowing.
July 22nd, 2009 at 2:03 pm
this is an excellent trade for the Red Sox, as it will give them a viable player to platoon with Youk at first while Youk platoons at third with the ailing Mike Lowell. In my opinion, Mark Kotsay is likely the odd-man-out (unfortunately), possibly simply landing on the 40-Man roster allowing LaRoche to be placed on the 25-Man Active Roster.
July 22nd, 2009 at 2:14 pm
I agree with Mike, Kotsay must be the odd guy out, unless more bad news about Lowell is coming out
July 22nd, 2009 at 2:16 pm
With the addition of shortstop Argenis Diaz, Jack Wilson will be traded with- in the next week or so. This team has no upside. Pathetic!
July 22nd, 2009 at 2:21 pm
Seems to be a low risk pick-up. Who is the odd man out now? Kotsay or Baldelli?
July 22nd, 2009 at 2:28 pm
Unfortunately Mike, a player cannot simply be moved from the 25-man to the 40-man roster. Kotsay would have to be designated for assignment, since as a veteran player he is out of options and can’t be outrighted to the minors. If the Sox couldn’t work out a trade of him within 10 days, they would have to release him.
July 22nd, 2009 at 3:17 pm
I don’t know what the sox will do but I say see ya to kotsay had he even got one hit in the series against the jays last year the sox would have been in the series again. Good glove Kotsay but a minor league hitter. Hope he is the one to go not baldelli
July 22nd, 2009 at 3:17 pm
Maybe another trade in process? Let’s hope this is an upgrade to a real bad hitting team.
Our manager does not make Ellsbury bunt to get on and make the pitcher
get out of a full wind-up early in the game?
Guess we won two! However we had a 5 game lead in first place a week ago?
We could be 10 games out in two weeks. Tampa Bay wins every game in the 8 and 9th inning.
We have nothing going!
July 22nd, 2009 at 4:47 pm
I am of the opinion that Mark Kotsay will be the odd man out. with the addition of LaRoche to play first base, The Red Sox will not be in as dire need of a guy that can play First base and the outfield. Baldelli, being younger, is also more likely to be around in the future. Kotsay is hitting .271 in 70 At Bats while Baldelli is batting .266 in 94 At Bats. Although Kotsay has the additional versatility of playing in the outfield, his arm strength has diminished. Baldelli, as we all know, has a cannon for an arm. As much as I like Kotsay, he is likely to be the one let go by the Sox. Also, I hope that with the arrival of the Shortstop Diaz from the Red Sox, the Pirates will continue their fire sale and the Red Sox land Shortstop Jack Wilson as an insurance policy in case Nick Green trails off.