Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has made the first trade of his tenure in Boston.
Red Sox make trade, sending second baseman to Mariners for reliever
Ahead of Friday night’s non-tender deadline, new Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow made the first trade of his tenure.
Boston traded infielder Luis Urias to the Mariners for reliever Isaiah Campbell, a baseball source confirmed Friday.
Urias, acquired at the trade deadline in a minor league move from Milwaukee, was an unheralded prospect on Friday.
He is projected to make $4.7 million in 2024, which the Red Sox feel could be too much given his play last season.
Rather than waste Urias, the Red Sox could trade him for Campbell, 26, who should be a major league prospect next season after impressing in limited action as a rookie in 2023.
Alex Speier of the Boston Globe was the first to report the deal officially announced by the club.
After acquiring Bradley Blalock at the trade deadline with the Brewers, Uriah started 24 games at second base and four more at third base before a calf injury ended his season a few weeks ago.
The 26-year-old former Padre hasn’t done much at the plate other than hit back-to-back grand slams on the road in August. He posted a .225 average, .337 slugging percentage and .698 OPS in 109 games with the Red Sox while being solid defensively.
Former baseball boss Chaim Bloom was willing to trade Urias, who is just two years removed from a breakout season in Milwaukee, short to give him a shot at second base in 2024 but that didn’t happen.
Moving Urias would give Boston more depth at second base and also make the club more likely to add an outfielder. The Sox still have in-house options (Urias, Emmanuel Valdes, Pablo Reyes and David Hamilton), but will likely look to add through free agency or trades.
Whit Merrifield is a free agent who fits the type of talent the Sox are looking for, and the club has also been linked to Yankees shortstop Gleyber Torres.
Campbell, 26, is a former second-round pick (2019) who impressed as a rookie out of the Seattle bullpen in 2023.
The right-handed pitcher has allowed just 9 runs (2.83 ERA) in 28⅔ innings, and the batter struck out 33 batters.
(10.4). K/9).
As a minor league option, he could play in the big leagues at times next season and serve as a depth player between Boston and Triple-A Worcester.
That includes trade-barring right-handers Zach Kelly and Nick Robertson, as well as closer Kenley Jansen, setup man Chris Martin and night options including John Schreiber, Josh Winkowski and Brennan Bernardino.
If Garrett Whitlock and Tanner Hook don’t start, the late slots could be affected.
Campbell will take Urias’ place on Boston’s 40-man roster, which will be 37 players after the club dealt with the injured Wyatt Mills on Friday night.
The Red Sox offered contracts to the other four arbitration-eligible players, including waiver claimant Liz McGuire.
Boston shuffled its roster with several moves earlier this week, including signing Wickelman Gonzalez and Luis Peralez before the Rule 5 deadline and losing right-hander Logan Gillaspie to San Diego via waivers.
