Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports broke the news that the Boston Red Sox have acquired premier closer Craig Kimbrel from the San Diego Padres in exchange for a package of minor league prospects that include pitcher Logan Allen, infielder Carlos Asuaje, shortstop Javier Guerra and outfielder Manuel Margot.
Both teams have confirmed the trade.
Kimbrel, the 2011 National League Rookie of the Year and four-time All Star, recorded 39 saves for the Padres this season with a 2.58 ERA, 1.045 WHIP and a 13.9 strikeout rate. The 27-year old right-hander has amassed 225 career saves in his short career after five seasons with the Atlanta Braves and one with the Padres.
Dave Dombrowski strikes a bold move here, adding one of the game’s top closers in Kimbrel and pairing him with incumbent All Star closer Koji Uehara, who led the Red Sox bullpen with 25 saves, 87 strikeouts and a 2.23 ERA last season. Perhaps he saw what a team can do with a lethal 1-2 punch in the bullpen as the Kansas City Royals showed during their championship campaign in 2015.
Kimbrel is owed $11 million in 2016 and $13 million in 2017, with a $13 million team option or a $1 million buyout in 2018, and Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reports that the Red Sox will assume the entire contract.
The Red Sox paid dearly in prospects and all four were among the team’s top prospects. MLB.com recently ranked Margot No. 3, Guerra No. 6, Asuaje No. 23 and Allen No. 25. So not a bad deal at all for the Padres who seem to be getting quite a haul.
The real gem of the deal for San Diego is center fielder Manuel Margot, a true five-tool talent who just turned 21. He hit a combined .276 last season between Single A Salem and Double A Portland and finished with, 27 doubles, nine triples, six home runs, 50 RBIs, 73 runs and 39 stolen bases in just 480 plate appearances. He could be major league ready by 2017 and is expected to hit for more power.
