Red Sox Trade Stewart, Rosario, and Valencia In Separate Moves

In three minor moves today, the Red Sox traded pitchers Zach Stewart and Sandy Rosario, as well as third baseman Danny Valencia. All three players were acquired at some time during the 2012 season, but none were expected to make an impact in 2013. The Red Sox didn’t really gain much (or lose much) in any of these deals, but as a baseball junkie, it must be reported!

Aug 29, 2012; Anaheim, CA, USA; Boston Red Sox starter Zach Stewart delivers a pitch against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE

Stewart was acquired in the Kevin Youkilis trade in June of 2012. Once a top prospect, he was 25 in 2012 and didn’t succeed either in the White Sox’ bullpen (1-0, 6.00 ERA in 18 appearances) or in two starts with the Red Sox (0-2, 22.24 ERA). His ceiling at this point is probably a grounder-inducing middle reliever with good control, something the Red Sox have enough of right now. The Red Sox will receive a player to be named later in the deal, who will likely be a low-level prospect.

Sandy Rosario never even made his first appearance in the Red Sox system after being claimed off waivers by the Red Sox on October 17. Rosario is 27 years old and struggled in limited time in the majors with the Marlins, posting an 18.00 ERA in 4 appearances. He was a strong reliever in the minor leagues, with a 1.04 ERA in 25 games with Triple-A New Orleans. However, his absolute ceiling is similar to that of Stewart’s, and thus the Red Sox only received cash considerations in return.

The fall of Danny Valencia from promising rookie to roster filler is one of the more disappointing ones in recent years. He finished third in Rookie of the Year voting in 2010 after going .311/.351/.448 with 7 home runs and 40 RBIs for Minnesota. Since then, his numbers have declined considerably however, and he only batted .188/.199/.299 in 44 games between the Red Sox and Twins this year. He was traded to the Orioles in return for cash considerations today, and will probably serve as merely a roster filler unless he can recall the potential he once had.

So there you have it; three very minor moves today that will likely benefit no one. The Red Sox will only get one player, probably not even a ranked prospect, and some cash in return for these moves. However, it is baseball (and more importantly, Red Sox) news and intense fans always need the latest takes from around the league. Hey, on a brighter note, at least B.J. Upton is out of the AL East!