DownSwinging.com

The Boston Red Sox were all over the headlines today, making two deals to improve their ballclub for this season. This morning, Epstein and co. traded AA shortstop Argenis Diaz and A RHP Hunter Strickland to Pittsburgh for Adam LaRoche. LaRoche has 12 bombs this season with a poor average, but everyone is talking about his ability to pick up his average in the second half. In LaRoche, the Red Sox give themselves much-needed depth at the corner infield spot. With Mike Lowell’s health a concern, the Red Sox needed a solid major leaguer to be there should things go haywire, and they accomplished that, and got a good enough player that they won’t be worried about giving Lowell a good amount of rest in the second half (When Lowell rests, Youkilis plays third while LaRoche will play first). We all knew the Sox were going to get a corner infielder, though they weren’t linked much to LaRoche originally. Previously, I would have thought a play for Nick Johnson or Scott Rolen would have been more likely, but because the Red Sox are focused on winning in 2009 right now, they probably were unwilling to give up major league relief pitching for them, which is why they went to LaRoche. I read that LaRoche was a below-average defender, but according to the Red Sox their metrics have him as a good defender, so who knows.

Diaz is a 22-year old shortstop who is struggling some in AA this season, with a lot of strikeouts. Strickland was an 18th round guy the Red Sox picked out of high school in 2007, and these past two seasons have been solid, with ERAs in the low 3s and high K/BB ratio. The Pirates did what they will probably continue to do for the next week or so, trading whatever talent they have for prospects with a potential future. The deal was a good move for both sides.

Later in the day, the Red Sox sent Julio Lugo packing to the Cards, ending his insufferable tenure in Boston. Lugo had been DFA’d by the Red Sox last week. The Sox received Chris Duncan, lefty outfielder who has had some limited success in the bigs after a long minor league career, as well as a player to be named later, or cash. The Red Sox will pay all of Lugo’s contract. Seems to me that the Red Sox did well to get this much out of the Cardinals considering that everyone in the world knows that they were getting rid of Lugo. Duncan has played well against righties in the past, though this year he is batting just .226 against them. Still, the Red Sox may use him at times as a backup for Ellsbury. Even though the Cardinals lost Duncan, they’re getting a free player in Julio Lugo, and that might not be such a bad thing for them. With Khalil Greene’s health and playing ability in question, having at least a patient hitter in Lugo is insurance for them considering the tight pennant race they’re in. The bottom line is that they get him for free, so any production he gives them will be a bonus.