Were you thinking you were going to get through your Thursday without the Boston Red Sox making a trade after some big names were moved?
Well, think again.
The Red Sox acquired Kyle Schwarber from the Washington Nationals for right-handed pitching prospect Aldo Ramirez.
Ramirez is ranked as the No. 19 prospect on Boston’s prospect list, so the Red Sox got an elite left-handed batter for a pretty good deal without giving up a Triston Casas or Jarren Duran-type player.
Yes, Schwarber is on the injured list with a right hamstring strain, but he has resumed jogging and hitting, meaning a return is coming. But at the end of the day, Boston added even more power to an already lethal lineup that includes J.D. Martinez, Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers.
It’s a move that certainly will make the lineup scarier and tougher to pitch against, and with 12 more games against the Tampa Bay Rays this season, and the New York Yankees adding Joey Gallo and Anthony Rizzo, the Red Sox had to do something.
Schwarber is an outfielder and never has played first base — a position Boston needs help at. The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier reported that the Red Sox are “open to seeing how Schwarber handles” the position.
There are options, and options that may be needed as we get into the later months of the season. The Red Sox could platoon Schwarber with Hunter Renfroe, he could serve as the designated hitter or maybe he ends up working at first base.
Another plus, aside from his .253 batting average and 25 home runs, is that Schwarber is under contract through the 2022 season. Not to mention he was the National League’s Player of the Month for June after hitting 16 home runs — seven of them from the leadoff spot — and driving in 30 runs.
All in all, this is a legitimately good move that will bolster the lineup once he returns.
