Red Sox officially won Mitch Moreland trade
By Scott Rogust
While they were the worst team in MLB this season, the Boston Red Sox actually won something in 2020!
The 2020 MLB season is officially over, which is welcome news for the Boston Red Sox. The team finished behind the Baltimore Orioles for sole possession of the basement of the AL East and fired manager Ron Roenicke after one season on the job. Perhaps the one thing Boston was reminded of ad nauseam is that they traded Mookie Betts to the Los Angeles Dodgers, who proceeded to win the World Series. While the Red Sox were the undisputed losers of that trade, they did actually end up on the positive end of a player-swap this season.
Former first baseman Mitch Moreland saw the San Diego Padres decline his option for the 2021 season, thus making him a free agent, per Jeff Passan of ESPN. So, it’s not farfetched to say that Boston ended up winning the trade.
Padres will not pick up 1B/DH Mitch Moreland’s option, per source. Free agency officially starts in an hour, but there will not be any kind of NBA- or NFL-like frenzy. Baseball’s market is going to be very, very slow-developing this winter.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) November 1, 2020
Boston received two prospects in exchange for Moreland
The Red Sox were the biggest sellers at the trade deadline in August due to their lack of a path to the postseason. It made sense for the team to flip arguably their best hitter in Moreland in exchange for some much-needed prospects. San Diego was looking to build a team that could put up a fight against the Dodgers in the postseason, and sent outfield prospect Jeisson Rosario and infield prospect Hudson Potts to Boston for Moreland.
Prior to his arrival in San Diego, Moreland was slashing .328/.430/.746 in Boston, where he recorded 22 hits, eight home runs and 21 RBI. The Padres thought they would receive a powerful left-handed bat to push them deep into the postseason, but it didn’t happen. Through 20 games with the Padres, Moreland slashed .203/.247/.362, while hitting just two home runs and eight RBI. Moreland was more of a bench option throughout the postseason, as he received just eight at-bats.
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After the trade was finalized, Rosario became Boston’s 16th ranked prospect in their pipeline, while Potts received the No. 20 designation. That showed how poor Boston’s farm system has been as of late. But, to get two top-20 prospects for a one-month rental, that’s a solid deal.
Congratulations, Red Sox fans. You can take solace in the fact that the organization won this transaction (no snark intended).