13 replies to this topic

[AK_]

Buster Olney reporting a deal is close but may still have some work to be done

apparently the Pirates have had interest in Dee Gordon (LAD) and Jose Iglesias

I'm hoping a package of Iglesias and Alfredo Aceves will get the deal done

[Eck'sSneakyCheese]

Buster Olney reporting a deal is close but may still have some work to be done

apparently the Pirates have had interest in Dee Gordon (LAD) and Jose Iglesias

I'm hoping a package of Iglesias and Alfredo Aceves will get the deal done

I think that's too much to give up. I still don't see why they don't go after Brian Wilson. Hanrahan is going to make around $7 mil after arb, I'd like to think Wilson would cost less and they wouldn't have to give anyone up. Doesn't make a lot of sense unless there's some other transaction in the works.

[AK_]

apparently Iglesias isn't involved in the deal but multiple Sox players are

[plucy]

I've been wondering if there is a link between the Ross signing and this deal. Although his bullpen looks pretty full, Towers loves to collect relievers. AZ now has Kubel, Eaton and Parra as LHH OF's, and Upton, Ross, and Pollock as RHH OF's. Hinske is also on the team.

[Celtic745]

Jim Bowdon on Twitter:@@jimbowdenESPNxm

JIM BOWDEN ‏@JimBowdenESPNxm:
Pirates source confirms Joel Hanrahan will be dealt to Red Sox and in fact Jerry Sands is part of the deal as speculated by@JonHeymanCBS

[alwyn96]

Well, it wouldn't be a Red Sox offseason if they didn't trade away some potentially useful players for a superfluous relief pitcher.

[LostinNJ]

It looks like a big part of the rationale is to clear space on the 40-man.

[keyalyn]

Seems like an odd move to trade away some resources to get a reliever, when the pen was arguably the strongest part of the team even before Hanrahan. Making sure that they have a great pen is important, but there are other areas of need that they should have addressed before getting another reliever. If they can get Garrett Jones back in the trade then at least they're filling a more pressing need, but Hanrahan is just an expensive luxury.

And on the other hand, are we really sure that Hanrahan is all that good? He had a shiny ERA last season, but his 90% LOB and .225BABIP are unsustainable, he walked a very high number of people, allowed a lot of HR, had a 4.45FIP, and fangraphs viewed him as a replacement level talent (-0.4WAR). He was very good in previous years, but 2012 was a lot of smoke and mirrors. Why should we be confident with this guy in the 8th or 9th?

[Hugh G Rection]

Apparently the deal is done:

Sox get: Hanrahan, and Brock Holt

Pirates get: Melancon, Sands, Pimental and De Jesus Jr.


Brock Holt looks like a utility type, but his minor league offensive numbers are very impressive...


Here is a quick BIO from SBNATION

:"Brock Wyatt Holt was born June 11, 1988 in Stephenville, Texas. A left-handed hitter and right-handed thrower, he's listed at 5-10, 170. After two years of junior college baseball for Navarro JC, he had an impressive junior season for Rice University in 2009, hitting .348/.427/.560 with 12 homers, 11 steals, 34 walks, and 35 strikeouts in 250 at-bats. Despite his track record, he got lost in the shuffle on draft day, scouts feeling that his tools were so-so and that he was too small to project big success at higher levels. He fell to the ninth round, where the Pirates signed him for $125,000. He hit well in his pro debut, batting .299/.361/.449 for State College in the New York-Penn League. Considering his college and short-season success, scouting reports were surprisingly muted. I gave him a Grade C entering 2010, projecting him as a utility infielder but noting that he "had a chance to get beyond that" if his hitting held up at higher levels.

Holt got off to an outstanding start in 2010, hitting .351/.410/.438 in 47 games for High-A Bradenton in the Florida State League. Unfortunatley, just as the Holt Bandwagon was gaining momentum, he tore a meniscus in a June infield collision and missed the rest of the year. I still boosted his grade up to a C+ and rated him a significant sleeper entering 2011.

Moved up to Double-A Altoona, he wasn't bad by any means, but didn't set the league alight either, hitting .288/.356/.387 with 18 steals, 50 walks, and 85 strikeouts in 511 at-bats. He hit 30 doubles, but knocked just one home run. On the negative side, his platoon splits were very sharp, and scouts remained quite "blah" about his tools. He slipped back to a Grade C for me.

Holt returned to Altoona for 2012 and heated back up, batting .322/.389/.432 with 24 doubles, 40 walks, and 51 strikeouts in 382 at-bats, winning the Eastern League batting hunt. Promoted to Triple-A Indianapolis for August, he got even hotter, batting .432/.476/.537 with nine walks and nine strikeouts in 95 at-bats. Overall, he hit .344/.406/.453 this year in the high minors, with 49 walks and 60 strikeouts in 477 at-bats.

Brock will never be a home run hitter (he hit just three this year) and his gaudy batting average this season included at least some BABIP luck. However, his track record as an effective line drive provider is hard to deny, going back to junior college. He makes contact, has a grasp of the strike zone, and has enough pop to the gaps to keep the pitcher honest.

Although he played shortstop this year for Altoona, his defensive tools fit best at second base due to average range, speed, and arm strength. He's developed into a very reliable defender at second, and he won't kill you at shortstop if you have to play him there in the short run."

Edited by Hugh G Rection, 26 December 2012 - 12:54 PM.

[Hugh G Rection]

Holt seems like a better fit at 2ndbase for the Pawsox than really having any impact on the MLB team although I see him battling Ciriaco as the UTIL guy off the bench. He seems to get on base at a good clip which is something that Ciriaco doesn't do and it helps that he is a LHH.

He's still relatively young too so there is some upside. It would be nice if he had a big year at Pawtucket and filling in in the infield and then the sox could trade him as a "blocked 2ndbaseman."

He seems like a very similar player to De Jesus Jr. so the two of them cancel each other out.

[Outsider]

I think he's better than IDJ by a fair margin, on the basis of his OBP alone. This seems to be a very disciplined hitter. Far more so than IDJ.

I wouldn't rule out Holt playing some significant time in SS. It's not like we're overburdened with better options, or that our starting SS is known for his health and durability. Frankly an average shortstop with a solid OBP is better than we've had at that position in years. If Holt can manage that he might stick until Bogaerts is ready to push him.

Edited by Outsider, 26 December 2012 - 01:31 PM.

[Hugh G Rection]

I think if the Sox upgraded from Melancon to Hanrahan in the pen and if Holt does indeed win the util role out of ST then it's an upgrade from Ciriaco to Holt, the cost of these upgrades was Pimental and Sands. So the trade should be beneficial to both teams....but

If Sands turns out to have a year in Pittsburgh that in any way mirrors his minor league career and if Melancon bounces back then Pittsburgh could have won in a big way. They got 3 cost controlled players and a lottery ticket in Pimental that ahs had quite a bit of teaching investment and a live arm. Melancon could close, and Sands could start and both make this trade look real bad quick. Then again all the players that the sox gave up could flame out and Hanrahan could have a career avg. year and it's a win for Boston. Hanrahan might either set-up or close on a play-off team or he could be a really nice trade chip if this team isn't going anywhere.

[Outsider]

Of course. That's why Pittsburgh does this deal. High risk, high reward

Frankly I could care less who "wins" a trade as long as we get what we need from it. Winning and losing a trade has to be the lamest kind of fan argument in existence. Get what you need, and if a guy breaks out for the other squad, good. That means they'll trade with you again.

Nothing the Pirates do is likely to hurt our chances to contend, so God bless Jerry Sands, may he qualify for the Home Run Derby next year.

Edited by Outsider, 26 December 2012 - 02:13 PM.

[BoredViewer]

Hanrahan is a guy that has closed games for the Pirates. I'm less than thrilled about him being our closer. Nevertheless, the Sox should have a strong pen.

Brock looks more interesting than De Jesus.