Adam Laroche For Argenis Diaz
Though conventional wisdom is that teams try to avoid redundancy, the Red Sox are actually trying to create some down the stretch to cover themselves in terms of depth and potential injuries. And that was the thinking behind the deal that brought left-handed-hitting first baseman Adam LaRoche to the Red Sox on Wednesday.
To get LaRoche, Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein dealt two prospects — shortstop Argenis Diaz and right-hander Hunter Strickland — to the Pirates.
A starter for the Pirates, LaRoche, who is hitting .247 with 12 homers and 40 RBIs, will come off the bench in Boston. But he figures to get plenty of chances to play for Red Sox manager Terry Francona, who is adept at utilizing his entire bench.
“We’ve been in the market for a player who could do some damage against right-handed pitching and help our club’s depth at the corner infield,” said Theo Epstein. “We’ve checked in on a number of players that fit that category and found that, by a large, large margin, the Pirates had the most reasonable acquisition cost. This was a chance to get, at a very reasonable acquisition cost, a player that we think will help our club against right-handed pitching and add to our depth and leave us in a position to continue to look for more impact before the end of the trading deadline.”
The addition of LaRoche means that third baseman Mike Lowell can rest his surgically repaired right hip more often. Kevin Youkilis, Boston’s All-Star first baseman, can move to third on days Lowell doesn’t play, creating a slot for LaRoche.
The Red Sox already have a left-handed backup at first base in Mark Kotsay, but he also plays the outfield.
“We want to create as much depth and redundancy as we possibly can, because if you don’t address depth before July 31 — or in some cases in August — then you’re left without an opportunity to do so down the stretch and into what we hope will be another postseason,” Epstein said last week. “We’re going to read and react based on our health, and based on the way some guys are playing, and try to build as deep and as strong a position player core as we can.”
Lowell was activated from the disabled list on July 17 following a 19-day break. The veteran third baseman is hitting .289 with 10 homers and 42 RBIs over 72 games.
“I think he’s doing pretty well,” Francona said recently when asked about Lowell’s condition. “I think when he plays three or four in a row, he feels it a little bit more, which I understand. We’ll try not to let him do that. But he’s swinging the bat great.”
LaRoche, 29, is eligible for free agency at the end of the season. A potential Type B free agent, the Red Sox could receive Draft compensation if he signs with another team.
He will see several familiar faces in the Red Sox’s clubhouse. LaRoche was a teammate of Jason Bay in Pittsburgh, and played with John Smoltz, Nick Green and J.D. Drew during his time with the Braves.
LaRoche is a career .269 hitter with 123 homers and 426 RBIs in 775 games.
In Diaz, the Pirates gain a potential elite defender. Playing for Double-A Portland this season, Diaz hit .253 with no homers, 24 RBIs and seven stolen bases.
Strickland was selected by the Red Sox in the 18th round of the 2007 First-Year Player Draft. Listed at 6-foot-5 and 200 pounds, Strickland was 5-4 with a 3.35 ERA for Class A Greenville this season.
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Red Sox Get Adam Laroche
The Pirates traded first baseman Adam LaRoche to the Red Sox on Wednesday for Double-A shortstop Argenis Diaz and Class A right-hander Hunter Strickland.
Pittsburgh was known to be looking for a suitor for LaRoche, who is earning $7.05 million this year and can be a first-time free agent after the season. The Pirates were not expected to make a strong attempt to re-sign him.
Speculation that LaRoche was on his way out first surfaced on Wednesday morning when the Pirates did not post their lineup until less than one hour before the 12:35 p.m. ET scheduled first pitch.
Diaz, who was signed as a non-drafted free agent out of Venezuela in 2003, is hitting .253 with 24 RBIs in 76 Double-A games this season. Diaz, 22, split last season between Class A and Double-A.
Strickland, an 18th-round pick in the 2007 First-Year Player Draft, is 5-4 with a 3.35 ERA in 18 appearances (12 starts) at the low Class A level. He has 51 strikeouts and 13 walks in 83 1/3 innings.
Diaz will be assigned to Triple-A Indianapolis and Strickland will join Class A West Virginia.
LaRoche, mired in a July slump, has hit .247 with a team-high 12 homers and 40 RBIs this season. In Boston, he’ll be reunited with former Pittsburgh teammate Jason Bay, who was dealt there at this time last season.
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