Red Sox Trade For Drew Pomeranz; Anderson Espinoza Dealt To Padres

UPDATE (9:50 p.m. ET): Drew Pomeranz officially is a Boston Red Sox.

Red Sox director of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski announced in a press release Thursday night that the team had acquired Pomeranz from the San Diego Padres for pitching prospect Anderson Espinoza. Boston sent infielder Josh Rutledge to the 60-day disabled list to make room for Pomeranz on the 40-man roster.

ORIGINAL STORY: The Boston Red Sox are approaching Major League Baseball’s non-waiver trade deadline with one glaring need, and it appears they’ve taken a major step to address it.

The Red Sox have agreed to a trade with the San Diego Padres for starting pitcher Drew Pomeranz, according to multiple reports. Dennis Lin of The San Diego Union-Tribune was the first to report the news Thursday.

The Red Sox reportedly will send 18-year-old pitching prospect Anderson Espinoza to San Diego as part of the trade, per the Boston Herald’s Evan Drellich and ESPN’s Keith Law. The trade reportedly is a one-for-one deal, according to FOX Sports’ Jon Morosi and Lin.

Pomeranz has been a surprising bright spot for the lowly Padres, boasting a 2.47 ERA through 17 starts that trails only Clayton Kershaw, Madison Bumgarner and Johnny Cueto in the National League. The 27-year-old left-hander, who earned his first All-Star nod this season, should be a nice addition to the back end of Boston’s rotation, which has seen six different pitchers rotate through its No. 4 and No. 5 spots.

This also isn’t a rental for the Red Sox. Pomeranz has two arbritation years after this season, meaning he could be under Boston’s control through 2018.

The price for Pomeranz could be high, however. Espinoza, a Venezuela native, has shown flashes of promise for the Red Sox’s Single-A affiliate and projects as one of Boston’s top pitching prospects. He leads the Greenville Drive with 72 strikeouts in 76 innings pitched.

Thumbnail photo via Jayne Kamin-Oncea/USA TODAY Sports Images