Red Sox acquire reliever Zeke Spruill

The Red Sox and Diamondbacks have stayed in touch since agreeing on the Wade Miley trade.

Just hours after putting the finishing touching on the package to acquire Miley, the Red Sox have made another trade with the Diamondbacks. In the second rendition of these Boston-Arizona discussions, the Red Sox and D-Backs have swung a considerably less significant deal, in which the Red Sox will acquire 25-year old swingman Zeke Spruill in exchange for minor leaguer Myles Smith.

Spruill, whom the Diamondbacks acquired from the Braves in the Justin Upton deal two offseasons ago, has spent most of his time in Triple-A the past two years but has made 12 appearances (3 starts) for Arizona. However, Spruill is coming off a rough season in Triple-A Reno, where he scuffled to a 6.04 ERA, despite solid peripherals– an 8.1 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9– in 28 appearances (11 starts). In the Major Leagues, Spruill’s results were a bit better, as his ERA dipped to 3.57 to go with a 5.6 K/9 and 1.6 BB/9 over 22.2 innings, but that could easily be chalked up to small sample size.

Regardless, it’s a relatively low-risk acquisition for the Red Sox as Myles Smith is nothing special in his own right. A fourth-round draft pick in 2013, Smith posted a meager 5.82 ERA in 26 games (12 starts) for the Single-A Greenville Drive and, though he is a hard-thrower with nasty stuff, has severe control issues.

Spruill is unlikely to have a major effect on the Red Sox, but if Boston’s bullpen corps are hit hard by injuries, then he could don a Red Sox uniform for a few stints. However, more likely than not, this will end up as a low-impact trade for both teams.

On the bright side, though, Zeke Spruill is a phenomenal name.