Blake Swihart officially has a new home.
The Red Sox elected to designated Swihart for assignment earlier in the week, putting an end to the 27-year-old’s roller-coaster tenure in Boston. The club won’t go empty-handed in cutting ties with Swihart, though, as it shipped the young catcher to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday in exchange for an outfield prospect.
President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski revealed earlier Friday that the Red Sox were “optimistic” they’d find a trade for the 2011 first-round pick. Boston had until Tuesday to land a deal, but the franchise managed to do so well before the deadline.
Swihart joins a D-Backs team that currently stands at 10-10, good for third place in a competitive National League West. Aside from adding catching depth, Arizona also is gaining a versatile player with high upside looking to prove himself.
Mookie Betts noted he was “kind of happy” for Swihart after the DFA, noting his now-former teammate could use a new beginning. Swihart will get that chance in the desert.
