The Red Sox have traded infield prospect C.J. Chatham to the Phillies
Dave Dombrowski has plenty of familiarity with the Boston Red Sox farm system from is tenure at the helm of their front office and he used that insight to steal an asset for practically nothing. The Red Sox have traded infield prospect C.J. Chatham to the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for a player to be named later or cash considerations.
NEWS: #Phillies have made a trade, and Dave Dombrowski acquires a former #RedSox prospect he knows well: infielder C.J. Chatham, for a player to be named later or cash considerations. @MLBNetwork @MLB
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) January 18, 2021
Chatham was ranked No. 14 in the Red Sox farm system, according to MLB.com. Boston selected him out of Florida Atlantic University in the second round of the 2016 draft.
The 26-year-old spent most of 2019 at Double-A Portland before earning a promotion to Triple-A Pawtucket for the final 20 games of the season. He hit .298/.333/.408 with five home runs and 46 RBI in 110 games split between those two levels.
The cancelled minor league season stalled the progress of many prospects last year but it seemed as though Chatham was knocking on the door to his big league debut. He can field three infield positions but the Red Sox don’t have an opening at shortstop or third base with Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers cemented at those spots. Boston has a clear need at second base but Chatham never seemed to be given serious consideration for the role.
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Jeter Downs has surpassed Chatham as the organization’s top middle infield prospect and they also drafted second baseman Nick Yorke in the first round of last year’s draft. If the Red Sox determined that Chatham wasn’t ready for the majors yet then it made him expendable.
Even if there was no clear path for Chatham to have an everyday role in Boston anytime soon, this still feels like a waste of an asset. The Red Sox are essentially giving him away in order to clear a spot on the 40-man roster, an essential move before they can finalize the signing of lefty Martin Perez. They will most likely settle for a lesser prospect who won’t need to be placed on the 40-man roster or receive cash in exchange for a player who could provide value to a team in a utility role.
This transaction highlights the concern that needs to be addressed with Dustin Pedroia‘s future. There’s almost zero chance that he sets foot on the field again but he’s clogging a spot on the 40-man roster. Boston was forced to punt a prospect in order to sign a No. 5 starter. They might need to do the same if they plan to sign another starter, a closer, second baseman or an outfielder. How many assets need to be wasted while Pedroia takes up a roster spot?
Chatham becomes the unfortunate casualty of a roster crunch. Hopefully he’s going to a new home that will give him more of an opportunity. Considering Chatham was fairly well rated in the Red Sox organization while Dombrowski was here, it’s not surprising that it’s the Phillies taking a chance on him.