The Boston Red Sox could really use a third baseman, and there was a point over the weekend where it looked like they might swing a trade for Chicago White Sox slugger Todd Frazier, who since has been dealt to the New York Yankees.
So, what the heck happened?
Well, the most likely explanation is that the Red Sox had limited interest in David Robertson and/or Tommy Kahnle, a pair of relievers whose inclusion in Tuesday night’s trade involving Frazier drove the overall price tag to a place Boston simply was unwilling to go.
In fact, WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford backed up this theory shortly after the White Sox-Yankees trade when he reported, citing a major league source, that Robertson — a former All-Star in his own right — never was part of the trade talks that Boston and Chicago had regarding Frazier.
While the Red Sox probably would like to add a late-inning reliever in addition to a third baseman, their reported lack of interest in Robertson is unsurprising. Not only is he owed $13 million next season in addition to what’s left of his $12 million salary for this season, something that would send Boston soaring past the $195 million luxury tax threshold when combined with what’s left of Frazier’s $12 million salary for 2017. The talented right-hander also could be considered the centerpiece of Tuesday’s trade despite Frazier having more name recognition, meaning the Red Sox would have needed to relinquish a much more significant prospect package to land both players, when in reality their primary target was the less valuable asset of the two.
Frazier is a rental with a limited market, as very few teams outside of the Red Sox need a corner infielder. (Frazier is expected to play first base with the Yankees.) The White Sox probably wouldn’t have been able to acquire much by trading him on his own, especially if the package of prospects the Detroit Tigers acquired from the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday in exchange for J.D. Martinez — a rental who’s a better player — is any indication.
Therefore, it made much more sense for Chicago to attach Frazier to a deal involving Robertson and Kahnle, two players who likely were in much higher demand given the number of teams seemingly looking for relief help before the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline. And the Yankees were willing to meet the asking price, in large because they have a deeper farm system than the Red Sox, who already have traded away several highly regarded prospects over the last couple of years in deals for Chris Sale, Craig Kimbrel, Drew Pomeranz and Tyler Thornburg.
In other words, now knowing what the Yankees had on the table, the Red Sox probably wouldn’t have been able to land Frazier in any deal without giving up one of their top two prospects: third baseman Rafael Devers or left-hander Jay Groome. Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski, to his credit, wasn’t going to stoop to that level of desperation, even though Frazier would have given a much-needed boost to Boston’s often powerless offense.
Thumbnail photo via Aaron Doster/USA TODAY Sports Images
