I'm over 50 and remember when "Pong" was the hot video game. He'd fit right in with what has become an identifiable Red Sox trade-deadline philosophy.OK, let's start with a disclaimer. He's a player who not only could help this season but would be in the mix next year as well. Hundley - like much-discussed pitchers Cliff Lee and Jake Peavy - represents the type of player the Red Sox like to target. But they'd have to be open to a conversation. The Padres probably won't actively look to trade Hundley, particularly with a Biogenesis cloud hanging over their other catcher, Yasmani Grandal. Hundley is under team control at reasonable dollars through the 2015 season. If Cherington were to make a move along the same lines as the Saltalamacchia trade in 2010 and the Aviles trade in 2011, he might look for a catcher under control beyond this year - such as San Diego's Nick Hundley. 325 slugging percentage, albeit in sporadic playing time. With David Ross out, Ryan Lavarnway had a chance to earn some playing time against lefthanded pitching. But Saltalamacchia also has significant defensive limitations, and his offensive approach - he's struck out three times as often as he's walked - isn't what the Red Sox really want. Saltalamacchia has better offensive numbers than the average American League catcher and has three seasons' worth of experience with the Red Sox pitching staff. That leaves catcher, one of the positions of vulnerability for the Red Sox both now and in the future. But with Carp and Daniel Nava already on the Red Sox roster, there's not really a spot for Schierholtz on the roster as constituted. likewise is in the system as an heir to Ellsbury in center field, it wouldn't hurt for Boston to acquire an outfielder like Chicago's Nate Schierholtz to insure themselves against Bradley struggling. There likewise appears to be no pressing need at shortstop, not with Jose Iglesias in the major leagues and Xander Bogaerts not too far away. This isn't to dismiss the possibility of any or all returning, but that's not something the Red Sox can count on - and thus something the Red Sox have to protect themselves against.Īt first base, the Red Sox would appear to have a potential successor already in-house in the person of Mike Carp, acquired midway through spring training in a similar stash-away move. What might 2013 bring? The Red Sox have significant free agents-to-be - and thus potential vacancies next season - at four positions: It didn't wind up helping much.)Īnd in 2012, a Boston team treading water before an August collapse swapped Matt Albers for lefty Craig Breslow, a reliever who's proven far more useful this season than he was to a going-nowhere team last year. (That 2011 team also swung a minutes-before-the-deadline deal for Erik Bedard to fill a more immediate need. Like Saltalamacchia the previous year, Aviles played only little in the final two months of that season, but he found himself the starting shortstop a year later after the Red Sox traded both Lowrie (for Mark Melancon) and Scutaro (for Clayton Mortensen). In 2011, a Boston team with what seemed to be a firm grasp on a playoff spot traded for shortstop Mike Aviles even with Jed Lowrie and Marco Scutaro on the roster. Saltalamacchia played only little in the final two months but took over as the starting catcher the following season. The Red Sox already had Victor Martinez and Jason Varitek on the roster, but Martinez was a pending free agent and Varitek no longer was a starting catcher. In 2010, a Boston team fading out of contention swung a deal with the Texas Rangers to acquire out-of-favor catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia. Recent Red Sox history would suggest that sometimes the July 31 trade deadline is about is about the distant future. BALTIMORE - Sometimes the July 31 trade deadline isn't only about the August and September immediately following.
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