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.
The Boston #RedSox today traded C/UTIL Blake Swihart to the Arizona Diamondbacks along with international amateur signing bonus pool space in exchange for minor league OF Marcus Wilson.
— Red Sox (@RedSox) April 19, 2019
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.
