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With the trade deadline coming and going, the 48-60 last-place Boston Red Sox were incredibly active, having the ultimate fire-sale. They started the day off by trading away ace lefty Jon Lester and platoon outfielder Johnny Gomes to the Oakland Athletics for Cuban phenom Yoenis Cespedes. Not long after that, they sent off another veteran starter in John Lackey, along with minor league arm Corey Litrell, in exchange for 2013 All-Star Allen Craig and fire-throwing righty Joe Kelly.
Both of these players are expected to join the major league squad immediately, and contribute from the start. You’re going to want to know who they are and what they’ll bring to Boston, and that’s what I’m here to walk you through.
Starting with Craig, the 30-year-old right handed first-baseman/right fielder. A former eighth-round pick of the Cardinals, he made his MLB debut in 2010 with St. Louis. From 2011-2013, he held a batting average .312, including his 2013 All-Star campaign where he finished with a .315 average and 97 runs batted in. While he plays two positions traditionally held by power hitters, he only has 57 career home runs, with a season high of 22 back in 2012.
So here comes the big question, why would St. Louis give up a talented All-Star caliber player in his prime for a 35-year old pitcher who’s reaching the end of his career? Well, aside from the fact that John has a 3.60 ERA on the season and will be valuable for the Cardinals’ playoff run (and is due just $500,000 next season), Craig is having a rather down year. With just a .237 batting average and a .291 on-base-percentage, he wasn’t going to help them too much this season. Lackey, on the other hand, has playoff experience and could be incredibly valuable as a fourth or fifth starter as the season winds down. The Cardinals are essentially in “win now” mode, and pitching was what they needed.
Looking at how Allen will affect the Sox for this year, right field is likely his destination. With Shane Victorino’s constant injuries, he hasn’t been a constant presence out in right. Craig can slide in nicely to fill that role, and potentially be an offensive threat in the lineup.Looking into next season and beyond, he could potentially replace Napoli at first-base, or Ortiz at designated hitter depending on how they manage those two. At the age of 30, Craig’s down season doesn’t scare me too badly. A change of scenery could do some good for the veteran Craig.
Now on to Joe Kelly, the 26-year-old right-hander. Kelly, a third-rounder in the 2009 Draft, had a 2.69 ERA last season, starting in 15 games. Like Craig, Kelly is also having a down season. A 4.37 ERA in seven starts, with a 1.457 WHIP. His less than impressive season might have helped the Red Sox acquire him however, with the Cardinals looking for guys that can contribute at a high level for a playoff push.
With Boston losing four starters (Peavy, Lester, Doubront, and Lackey) Kelly could slide into the rotation right behind Clay Buchholz if it came down to that. The one thing that doesn’t help Kelly is his handedness. Buchholz, Workman, and De La Rosa are also righties. Not to say that Kelly would be held out of the rotation because of this, but if he was a lefty, he might carry a higher stock in the eyes of coaches and management.
There’s no way around the fact that Boston bought low on both Craig and Kelly while giving up a talented vet in Lackey in the process. It may be too late for Boston to turn things around this year, but Kelly and Craig (who are both under team control for the next few years) could certainly jump start a turnaround.