Sox Get Whitlock in Rule 5 Draft (12/10/20)

The Rule 5 draft rarely ever gets you an important puzzle piece for your team moving forward but this may be the exception for the Boston Red Sox. Today the Sox selected New York Yankees pitching prospect Garrett Whitlock in the draft. The 24 year old is a flamethrowing right handed pitcher who can hit 95 on the gun and throws a pretty good sinker. For some reason the Yankees didn't think he was developing fast enough even though a whole year was wiped out due to COVID. The Sox are desperate for young starting pitching and he was on the fast track to Triple A and possibly a September call-up if 2020 didn't go up in smoke. Getting him could be the steal of the century if he pans out the way the Yankees thought he would when he was drafted in the fourth round of the 2018 draft.

In lesser news, the Sox also selected 23 year old infielder Tyreque Reed from the Texas Rangers and 28 year old career minor leaguer Kaleb Ort from the Yankees. Reed is a power hitting first basemen that's built like a tank and he either hits it out or not at all. He lost a year of development due to COVID but was with Texas' High A team by the end of 2019. If nothing else maybe he'll hit a few homers for Salem or Greenville this coming season.

Ort is a career minor league journeyman who's best season was in 2018 as a reliever for the Trenton Thunder at age 26. If he doesn't get cut in Spring Training, maybe he'll fill out some depth in Worcester when the minor league season starts.....if there is one.

Bottom line is the Sox picked up 2 more young prospects in Whitlock and Reed, whether or not they develop or not is anyone's guess but at least Sox GM Chaim Bloom is trying to build something here.

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Sox Trade for "Boss" Christian Koss (12/3/20)

Normally minor league trades are complete cucka and not worth mentioning but today's trade made by the Boston Red Sox is. Sox GM Chaim Bloom bolstered his minor league depth by trading 23 year old pitching prospect Yoan Aybar to the Colorado Rockies for 22 year old infielding prospect "Boss" Christian Koss.

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Aybar was one of the international kids signed by former Sox GM Dave Dombrowski in 2018. He pitched poorly as a member of the Greenville Drive in 2019 although did well in a brief call up to Salem at the end of the season. Like with everyone else, his 2020 season was wiped out due to COVID. Aybar wasn't projected to be anything special so getting something for him was a miracle in itself.

"Boss" Koss made a name for himself around here in the summer of 2017 playing for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox of the Cape Cod Baseball League. He was drafted in the 12th round of the 2019 draft by the Rockies and hit .332 with 11 home runs for the rookie league Grand Junction Rockies. As mentioned before, his 2020 season was wiped out by COVID so his development was delayed a year. 

The fact that Bloom was able to get Koss for Aybar could be a sneaky good move or just another inconsequential minor league trade that nobody will remember a year from now. Time will tell if the Boss develops or not.