CHICAGO – In acquiring Blake Swihart from the Boston Red Sox on Friday afternoon, the Diamondbacks added a catcher whom they don’t plan on using behind the plate – at least not right away, according to General Manager Mike Hazen.
To get Swihart, who was designated for assignment by the Red Sox earlier in the week, the Diamondbacks gave up outfield prospect Marcus Wilson. The Diamondbacks also received $500,000 in international bonus pool money.
The driving force behind the deal, Hazen said, was a belief in Swihart’s offensive upside and the sense that this could be the club’s only chance to land him.