Needing to shore up the bench, the Red Sox have traded for a versatile player capable of manning 1B or roaming in the outfield. Will this be their big move?
On Thursday night, June 28, the Boston Red Sox traded for 1B/OF Steve Pearce. In exchange they sent prospect Santiago Espinal to the Toronto Blue Jays. The Jays also sent cash to help cover Pearce’s salary. For a team that has the most wins in baseball, a major deadline move may not be necessary. But this deepens the bench and adds a bat capable of handling left handed pitching. The trade was announced shortly after the Red Sox completed their sweep of the Anaheim Angels. Though, it may have been completed before the game.
Espinal is a middle infield prospect who soxprospects.com had ranked 15th in a very thin farm system. In 64 games for high-A Salem this season, he slashed .314/.364/.478 with 7 HR and 9 SB. It was a breakout season for the 23-year-old who was selected in the 10th round of the 2016 draft. He had been named to the 2018 Carolina League All Star team.
What are the Red Sox getting?
Pearce has alternated between roughly league average and significantly above at the plate the last three and a half seasons. In 2015 he finished the season with a 93 wRC+, then followed with a 136 in 2016. He was back to league average at 99 last season but has bounced back this year. Over 26 games played he has slashed .291/349/.519 with 4 HR, good for a 137 wRC+. His home run power is likely comparable with Mitch Moreland on a per plate appearance. Though his totals will be limited by his playing time.
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Defensively, Pearce offers an above average glove at first. It’s not as good as Moreland’s, but it’s certainly better than Hanley Ramirez‘s was. In the outfield he is below average at the corners and likely shouldn’t spend any time playing center field. His versatility is important, however. With Brock Holt able to cover the rest of the infield and center in a pinch, the entire field (save catcher) is covered by two players.
Given his R/L splits, it is likely the Red Sox intend to play him mostly against lefties. He has a career 127 wRC+ against them and a +.081 SLG split. His career wRC+ against righties is 101, so he won’t be strictly limited to just playing against southpaws. And his season wRC+’s are much closer than his career splits breaking down as 143 against righties and 127 against righties.
How does Steve Pearce fit on the roster?
Since Mitch Moreland has a more pronounced L/R split this year, with his favoring match-ups against right handed pitching (155 wRC+), Pearce could start at first against all left handed starters. His ability to play corner outfield means he could also help to spell Andrew Benintendi or Jackie Bradley Jr. against lefties as well. Or he could just provide an option to give an outfielder a breather by letting them DH or take the day off.
Chances are he will replace Blake Swihart on the 25 man roster. Whether Swihart is DFA’d or traded remains to be seen, but Pearce covers virtually all of the utility that Swihart offers. It’s possible, though less likely, that Eduardo Nunez is headed to the DL for his knee. If it is Swihart that goes, that leaves a bench of Pearce, Holt, Lin and Leon which provides a great deal of flexibility without sacrificing much at the plate.
Next: J.D. Martinez on an historic home run pace.
Steve Pearce is likely to see a significant amount of playing time and will allow Brock Holt to spend more time at second base. With Eduardo Nunez not hitting well, keeping Holt out of the outfield might be the best way to maximize production until Pedroia returns. As much as it will sting to see Swihart go and potentially figure it out in another uniform, the 2018 Red Sox are a more complete team after replacing him with Steve Pearce. What do you think about this trade? Let us know in the comments!