The Red Sox and Pirates have come to an agreement on a trade that would send closer Joel Hanrahan. As of right now, the deal stands as a six player swap, with the only confirmed players in the deal being Hanrahan with outfielder Jerry Sands and pitcher Stolmy Pimentel going to Pittsburgh. Other speculation has Mark Melancon as part of the package going to Pittsburgh in what will be four players going to the Pirates and two players going to the Red Sox.
When you look at Hanrahan's stats, it appears the Red Sox have utterly raped the Pirates. The problem is, however, that Hanrahan's walk rate spiked this year, from 2.1 in 2011 to 5.4 in 2012. There's also questions about his conditioning that are viewed as red flags.
But, if Hanrahan can adjust well to the AL East, he could be yet another late game threat for the Red Sox. With Junichi Tazawa, Andrew Bailey, Hanrahan, and the newly signed Koji Uehara, the Red Sox could be very tough to beat once they get ahead.
The only guy that the Red Sox may miss is Jerry Sands. While he was just a throw in in the August blockbuster, he has a high ceiling with a lot of raw power. However, his swing is huge and is killer in many at bats, and he still needs polishing. If he reaches his full potential, he could very well be the highlight of the package for the Pirates.
If the rumors are true and the Red Sox do indeed manage to part with Mark Melancon in the trade, Ben Cherington deserves a damn raise. Melancon, who was dynamite in 2011 for the Astros, was absolutely dreadful for Boston. Melancon pitched to a 6.90 ERA for the Red Sox, which unfortunately is better than it was before his demotion to AAA Pawtucket in late April. His ERA was double digits before being sent to Pawtucket to figure things out. If they can get rid of him, many fans will praise Cherington.
Assuming Jerry Sands never reaches his full potential, and the other two players are insignificant, Ben Cherington deserves credit for being able to deal spare parts for a potentially dominant reliever. While it's a gamble to bring any pitcher into the AL East, you can't fear the unknown and therefore never acquire any new pitchers. If Hanrahan lives up to the hype, this will be a steal for Boston.
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