On Wednesday, The Red Sox announced that they had swapped outfielders with the Los Angeles Dodgers, sending Jeremy Hazelbaker to Hollywood in exchange for Alex Castellanos. In order to make room for Castellanos on the 40-man roster, the Sox designated right-hander Pedro Beato for assignment.
May 31, 2012; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers left fielder Alex Castellanos (49) bats in his MLB debut against the Milwaukee Brewers at Dodger Stadium. The Brewers defeated the Dodgers 6-2. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-USA TODAY Sports
Castellanos, 27, was originally drafted in the 10th round of the 2008 draft by the St. Louis Cardinals before being flipped to the Dodgers in a 2011 deadline deal that netted St. Louis all-star shortstop Rafael Furcal. While he was drafted as an infielder, Castellanos has made the transition to the outfield in recent years and has seen time at both corners in his cups of coffee with the Dodgers both this year and in 2012.
Castellanos’ bat has wowed in the minors in past years, showcasing a .328/.420/.590 line in his first stint through the PCL in 2012. The right-handed hitter’s tools haven’t yet translated to major league success as he has hit only .171/.186/.390 across 43 trips to the plate in 24 games. Castellanos has been ranked as high as the Dodgers’ 11th best prospect by both MLB.com and Baseball America. Castellanos could conceivably compete for a bench spot on Boston’s 2014 roster, but with one option remaining he’s likely to see time at Pawtucket in 2014.
Mar 9, 2012; Fort Myers, FL, USA; Boston Red Sox right fielder Jeremy Hazelbaker (80) bats against the Baltimore Orioles during the game at JetBlue Park. The Orioles defeated the Red Sox 5-2. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
On the other side of the deal, the Red Sox rather curiously traded away 26-year-old outfielder, Jeremy Hazelbaker. Hazelbaker has been in the Red Sox system since his selection in the fourth round of the 2009 draft. Moved to the corners of the outfield in 2013 and 2013, Hazelbaker has shown flashes of a deadly power-speed combination, but has never been able to tap into the duo consistently; though he has had at least 10 home runs and 35 steals in each of his 4 full years in the system.
Unfortunately for Hazelbaker, he found himself behind Jackie Bradley, Jr., Bryce Brentz and Alex Hassan on the Minor League depth chart, not to mention the outfield surplus the bigleague club will experience when Ryan Kalish returns in the spring.