The MLB Trade Deadline came and went Friday afternoon with barely a whisper from the Boston Red Sox. As reports of last minute deals filed in the only movement the team has claimed is a minor deal to further bolster their bullpen.
The Red Sox have acquired reliever Ryan Cook from the Oakland A’s for a player to be named later or cash. The 28-year old righthander has pitched only 4.1 innings this season, producing an unsightly 10.38 ERA before he was demoted to Triple-A Nashville.
red sox acquired ryan cook from oakland
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) July 31, 2015
The former All-Star closer has a successful track record in the majors, compiling a 2.59 ERA and 197 strikeouts over 190.6 innings of relief from 2012-2014. While injuries and mechanical issues have derailed his career, the Red Sox are banking on his ability to reclaim his previous form.
"“This is a guy that’s been a closer in the past,” Farrell told the Boston Herald’s Scott Lauber. “I know that there’s been some change of role out in Oakland. As we did with [recently acquired reliever] Jean Machi to come in and take a look at him, this will be a similar situation.”"
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Cook will be arbitration eligible for the first time in 2016 and will be under team control through the 2018 season. If he manages to return to the level that once made him one of the league’s top relievers, this deal become a steal for the Red Sox. If he doesn’t pan out, they likely won’t have lost more than a fringe prospect or money. It’s a low risk, high reward proposition.
While the deadline may have passed, it doesn’t necessarily mean the Red Sox are done dealing. Players that clear waivers can still be moved in August, so expect Boston to float several members of their roster through the process. Teams routinely place players on waivers even if they have no intention of trading them, since they can quickly pull them back if someone claims them.
Mike Napoli and Alejandro De Aza were both rumored to be on the move, so we can expect the Red Sox to try to pass them through waivers. Given the approximately $6 million still owed to Napoli, he’s almost guaranteed to pass, but they may have a more difficult time with De Aza due to his cheaper salary and improved production since coming to Boston.
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