Sox get Victor Martinez

Posted on July 31, 2009
Filed Under 2009 Season | Leave a Comment

Remember that offense that the Red Sox have forgotten to provide over the past 3 weeks? They tried AGAIN to bolster it today by acquiring C/1B Victor Martinez from the Cleveland Indians. The Indians are having a fire sale (Cliff Lee and Ryan Garko went in the past 48 hours) and Martinez is the latest to get sent packing.

Red Sox receive: Victor Martinez (C/1B)
Indians receive: Justin Masterson (RHP), Bryan Price (RHP), and Nick Hagadone (LHP)

Martinez has a strong bat but is sometimes defensively challenged and he’s already 30 years old (but looks 32+) His offense will definitely help the team out in a time when they’re struggling to score runs. At the time of this trade, he’s hitting .284 with 15 HR, 67 RBI, and a .368 OBP in 99 games.

The loss of Masterson and Hagadone puts a little dent in the Sox’ pitching depth. Both have been top 5 prospects in the past until Masterson made his way to the big leagues and Hagadone had a setback requiring Tommy John surgery.
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Personal note: Thanks to everything that Masterson has done for the Sox. He’s been a go-to guy for the team and done everything asked of him.