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11.5.09, 6:40 PM
Sox land Hermida from Marlins
Hot Stove kicks into action less than 24 hours after the WS
By: Jared Carrabis
Less than 24 hours after the final pitch of the 2009 World Series, Theo Epstein began what hopes to be a pivotal offseason that will hopefully bring the Red Sox back atop the American League East.
Just before 6pm here in Boston, Epstein completed a deal with Florida Marlins' Vice President and general manager, Michael Hill, that sent outfielder Jeremy Hermida to Boston in exchange for a pair of left-handed pitchers. Hunter Jones and Jose Alvarez will pack their bags and head down south to the Sunshine State.
Jones, who spent most of his 2009 season down in Triple A Pawtucket, posted a 9.24 ERA in just 12.2 innings at the big league level with Boston. Alvarez had better fortunes in '09, as the left-hander was tried as both a reliever and a starter (12 starts, 14 relief appearances). Jones posted a 2.26 ERA in Class-A ball in the Red Sox's farm system.
In return for the pair of southpaws, the Red Sox receive a former first-round draft pick in Hermida. As first reported by Juan C. Rodriguez of The Sun Sentinel, the acquisition of Hermida was a great move on behalf of the Red Sox.
Surely, Epstein's intentions are to have the 25-year-old outfielder take the place of Rhode Island native, Rocco Baldelli, as Boston's fourth outfielder. However, this could also be an insurance move, should the Red Sox fail to re-sign Jason Bay or bring in the likes of someone like Matt Holliday, as Bobby Abreu already re-signed with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim earlier in the day on Thursday.
For Hermida, the potential is certainly there, as Baseball America had ranked the outfielder as the fourth best prospect in baseball. However, Hermida has yet to live up to that potential; keyword, "yet."
2007 was the best offensive season for Hermida, as the left-handed hitter batted .296 with 18 HR, 16 RBI and an .870 OPS. Hermida played in a career-best 142 games in 2008, before taking a step back by only appearing in 129 games in 2009.
On the bright side, he hits for a higher average when on the road, and Fenway Park certainly won't hurt to have as a home ballpark for a lefty bat with some pop. He's played drastically more games in right field than any other outfield position, which should come in handy when backing up the fragile JD Drew.
You'll also be happy to know that he has a .333 batting average in Yankee Stadium, which is a great stat in light of what we all had to witness last night.
Boston will have control over Hermida over the next few seasons, as the outfielder is eligible for arbitration for the next two years before hitting free agency.
Love it? Hate it? Think he's a piece to a bigger puzzle? Discuss!
-Jared Carrabis
To order Jared's debut book, One Fan's Story: If This Hat Could Talk, click HERE!
11:01 PM
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