Red Sox Trade For Pitcher Mets Selected In Rule 5 Draft

The Red Sox continue to make trades this week, this time in the Rule 5 draft.

One day after trading Alex Verdugo to the New York Yankees for three pitching prospects, Boston on Wednesday traded minor-league left-hander Ryan Ammons and cash considerations to the Mets in exchange for Justin Slaten. Slaten was selected by New York from the Texas Rangers in the Rule 5 draft.

Slaten posted a 2.87 ERA in 40 games with Double-A Frisco and Triple-A Frisco last season. He also held opponents to a .206 batting average in 59 2/3 innings. The 26-year-old was promoted to Triple-A Frisco on Sept. 12 and posted a 1.08 ERA in 8 1/3 innings.

The 2019 third-round pick was identified by Baseball America as a player to watch out for in the Rule 5 draft.

“After a command-plagued season in 2022, Slaten straightened out his strike-throwing in 2023,” Baseball America wrote. “He cut his walk rate from 19.5% in 2022 to 8.5% in 2023. The improved control resulted in much better results at Double-A Frisco and a late-season promotion to Triple-A. Slaten is a pure reliever who mixes four pitches with plenty of power across his arsenal.

“Slaten sits 95-97 mph on his four-seamer with ride and at times cut. He pairs his four-seam primarily with a mid-80s sweeping slider that generates heavy rates of swings and misses in and out of the zone. His cutter is his third pitch, but is an effective weapon as a bridge between his fastball and slider. The cutter sits 89-91 mph with true cutter shape. He’ll infrequently mix in a low-80s two-plane curveball. With the strike-throwing improvements, upper-level minors experience and major league quality stuff, Slaten could be a worthy choice.”

Last month, Baseball America also highlighted Slaten as an Arizona Fall League prospect who had the most “intriguing stuff.”

Slaten will be added to Boston’s 40-man roster, which was up to 38 after Wednesday’s trade.