Red Sox Trade Schreiber to Royals (2/17/24)

Well its pretty much unthinkable but the Boston Red Sox swapped roles with the Kansas City Royals. After going cheap all off-season (Jordan Montgomery and Blake Snell are still unsigned), the Sox continued to shed contracts by trading reliever John Schreiber to the Royals for 22 year old right handed starting pitching prospect David Sandlin.

                                                                         OUT

                                                                     IN

Schreiber was one of the better success stories the Red Sox have had in the recent past. After being batting practice in Triple A for most of his career, in 2022 he somehow found three more mph on his fastball and became one of the best relievers in the game. Last year his ERA ballooned to 3.86 mostly due to overuse and injury but was still better than other options on the dreary 2023 Red Sox. Well, he was the latest casualty in the inexplicable salary dump the Red Sox have going on. The rumors is that Kenley Jansen is next. The Royals needed bullpen help and the Sox gave it to them, my how times have changed.

                                                            Bye bye Schreiber

Who did the Red Sox get in return? David Sandlin was a starting pitcher for Oklahoma University that went in the 11th round of the 2022 draft fourteen picks before the Sox drafted Marques Johnson. Dandlin posted a respectable 4-1 record with a 3.38 ERA in 12 starts for the Low A Columbia Fireflies. He made two starts at the end of the season for the High A Quad Cities River Bandits. Sox GM Craig Breslow noticed he went from throwing low 90's in college to throwing 95-97 last year. The thinking is that they can harness his power and teach him control. Ironically the Grenville Drive won the SAL championship last year so if he starts 2024 there, he'd be in good company.

                                                     Welcome to Boston

For the first time all off-season ownership isn't lying to our faces about the direction this team is going in.....right in the toilet. If Breslow is going to continue to deplete the roster and play for 2025, I can respect that. They already have Dick Fitts, Hunter Dobbins and Elmer Cruz in the system so adding David Sandlin gives them another arm to try out in the minors. If ownership is telling Breslow they're not going to give him any money to work with, then drafting and developing is a must. Sandlin is at least a year or two away even if he dominates High A and Double A this year. Combined with the Sox trying to trade Jansen and now Chris Martin, its all adding up to just avoid Fenway and the Red Sox in general in 2024.

                                                   Get used to this sight come June