The Trade
The Boston Red Sox received left-handed starter Drew Pomeranz from the San Diego Padres in exchange for right-handed pitching prospect Anderson Espinoza, per Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Boston Red Sox
In need of starting pitching to bolster their high-scoring offense, the Red Sox cashed in Espinoza—the No. 21 prospect in baseball, according to MLB.com—to grab Pomeranz, who was having a breakout, All-Star season with the Padres.
The results haven't been great so far. Through three starts with Boston, Pomeranz is 0-2 with an unsightly 7.53 ERA.
It's a small sample, obviously. And Pomeranz has intermittently flashed the stuff that made him successful in San Diego, as Red Sox skipper John Farrell pointed out.
"Three starts in, I know the numbers can look out of sync or not strong," Farrell said, per ESPN.com's Scott Lauber. "But still, there's quality stuff being thrown. It's a matter of consistency."
The 27-year-old Pomeranz won't become a free agent until 2019, so assuming he returns to form, this could still be a positive for the Red Sox.
So far, however, it's a mixed bag at best considering what the Sox surrendered.
Grade: C-
San Diego Padres
The Pads, who have shifted into full-blown rebuild mode, appear to have sold high on Pomeranz. And they acquired a heck of a building block in Espinoza, an 18-year-old who has struck out 141 hitters in 142 minor league innings.
There's no such thing as a can't-miss teenage prospect, but San Diego may have turned a strong half-season from Pomeranz into a future front-line starter. And remember, the Padres acquired Pomeranz from the Oakland A's this winter for first baseman Yonder Alonso, who's hitting .247 with a .651 OPS.
As SB Nation's Grant Brisbee put it, "The San Diego Padres turned Yonder Alonso into a golden arm using This One Weird Trick."
When you frame it like that, it's tough not to love this move from the Friars' perspective.
Grade: A