Wednesday, February 17, 2021

Sox Make Trade With Rays, Get Hernandez & Sogard (2/17/21)

In what goes down as one of the biggest "huh?" trades in recent memory, the Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays made a peculiar trade today. The Red Sox sent cash, Jeffrey Springs and Chris Mazza to the Rays in exchange for 23 year old infield prospect Nick Sogard and 23 year old catching prospect Ronaldo Hernandez.
                                                                 OUT
                                                              IN

Obviously Tampa's thinking.......I don't know WHAT the hell they're thinking! Mazza and Springs were apart of the most ridiculous pitching staff since the days of Bill Veeck and for some reason Tampa thinks they can get something out of them. Anyone who suffered through the Sox last year knows Springs gave them nothing and Mazza every now and then could go a few innings. Other than that, this trade makes no sense for the Rays at all.

Now what did the Sox get? Sogard is the cousin of MLB infielder Eric Sogard. He graduated from Loyola Marymount University in 2019 and had a good showing for the Hudson Valley Renegades at the end of that year. Like with everyone else, his 2020 season was wiped out by Covid. The Rays don't think too highly of him but if nothing else, he'll fill out the roster in A ball. Hernandez seems to be the centerpiece of the trade. The catching prospect had a breakout year for the Single A Bowling Green Hot Rods by slamming 21 home runs and knocking in 79 runs at the age of 20 in 2018. He regressed in 2019 as he made the jump to High A, hitting only 9 home runs while driving in 60. Just like everyone else, his 2020 season was cancelled by Covid. The Sox already have Connor Wong to start the season in Worcester so it looks like Hernandez will be catching down in Portland to start the season.

All in all it looks like yet another player for prospects dump by Sox general manager Chaim Bloom. Unlike the other trades where they gave up the careers of Mookie Betts and Andrew Benintendi, this time they were the ones that look to have won the trade. Just the fact Bloom got anything for Springs and Mazza after how bad 2020 was is a miracle in itself. If nothing else at least Worcester, Portland, Salem and Greenville will at least have respectable rosters in 2021....if there is a season that is.


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