MLB Trade: Phillies acquire Clay Buchholz from Red Sox
By Josh Hill
The Philadelphia Phillies have acquired Red Sox ace Clay Buchholz, a move that fans are hoping will bolster the team’s chances in 2017.
It’s that time of year, the MLB hot stove is heating up as teams try to adjust for this upcoming season. The biggest trade so far has been the White Sox moving Chris Sale to Boston, but the Red Sox aren’t done trading yet.
The Red Sox made room in their loved pitching rotation for Sale by trading away Clay Buchholz, a move that some may be surprised by. When the Sox acquired Sale, the front-end of the rotation became absolutely loaded. Sale, Rick Porcello, and David Price are work horses that Sox fans are hoping will return the team to the postseason, but the backend is a little more iffy.
It’s assumed that Steven Wright and Eduardo Rodriguez will fill out the back of the rotation with the Sox also touting Drew Pomeranz as a potential starter. With Buchholz, that made for seven starting pitchers for a five-man rotation — that math just doesn’t add up.
Moving Buchholz seemed to be the smarted move, and it looks like the Red Sox are slashing their budget in the process of moving him to Philly.
Source: The Phillies have traded for Clay Buchholz. Return is believed to be one player, a minor-leaguer.
— Matt Gelb (@MattGelb) December 20, 2016
That minor leaguer isn’t the key ingredient here. Boston is saving roughly $13.5M this season by moving Buchholz, an investment that now belongs to the Phillies. Philadelphia wasn’t really that impressive in 2016, and adding a top pitcher working in the final year of an expensive contract seems to suggest they think competing is in the conversation.
Of course, the Phillies could end up moving Buchholz at the trade deadline if things aren’t going well, so the investment isn’t that risky. It’s still a bold move from a team that not many are expecting to compete in 2017, but all of that could be in the process of changing.