The Boston Red Sox went into the offseason looking to move on from a disappointing 2015 season and now they have made their first major move of the offseason. Ken Rosenthal reported that the San Diego Padres have traded four-time All Star closer Craig Kimbrel to the Red Sox.
The deal comes less than a year after the Padres traded for Kimbrel, aiming to make a major leap in the 2015 season, but it ended with the franchise falling flat on its face. After trading away much of the farm system that was pretty loaded with talent, San Diego now appears ready to sell off their assets and rebuild the farm system again.
Boston was the perfect trade partner for San Diego. The Red Sox have a loaded farm system that takes up much of the Top-100 prospect lists across baseball, giving them the depth to facilitate a trade that made both sides happy. Now they acquire one of the best closers in baseball who is just 27 and possesses some of the best stuff out there.
In return, San Diego will receive outfielder Manuel Margot, shortstop Javier Guerra, second baseman Carlos Asuaje and left-handed pitcher Logan Allen. Margot is the headliner of this deal, rated by MLB.com as the Red Sox third best prospect and 25th overall in baseball. Between High-A and Double-A this season, the 21-year-old combined for a .276/.324/.419 slash line with 39 stolen bases.
Guerra, rated as MLB.com's 75th overall prospect and Boston's sixth-rated prospect, spent the entire 2015 season in High-A. The 20-year-old had a .279/.329/.449 slash line with 15 home runs and seven stolen bases in 434 at bats. He has drawn very positive reviews for his power, especially for the position he plays.
Allen, ranked outside the Red Sox' top-20 prospects by MLB.com, was an eighth-round pick in this year's amateur draft and made seven starts in rookie ball and a lone start in Low-A. Over the eight starts, he allowed just 18 hits, two earned runs and a 26/1 K/BB ratio over 24 1/3 innings pitched.