In their second blockbuster trade of the day, the Red Sox sent veteran starting pitcher John Lackey to the Cardinals along with minor leaguer Corey Littrell and about $1.75MM in cash in exchange for young starter Joe Kelly and outfielder/first baseman Allen Craig. The deal is now official. The Red Sox continue to focus on players that can help them win in the near future, having traded Jon Lester and Jonny Gomes for Yoenis Cespedes earlier today. The Cardinals further bolster their rotation, having acquired Justin Masterson from the Indians yesterday.
Lackey, 35, has a 3.60 ERA, 7.6 K/9, 2.1 BB/9, 0.98 HR/9, and 46.9% groundball rate in 137 1/3 innings this year. His 2014 numbers closely resemble his work last year, a resurgent season after his 2011 campaign culminated in Tommy John surgery and he missed all of 2012. A second round draft pick in 1999, Lackey spent the early part of his career as a front of the rotation workhorse for the Angels.
Lackey joins Adam Wainwright and Lance Lynn at the front of a St. Louis rotation that suffered several blows this year. Jaime Garcia is out for the season after rib surgery this month, while Michael Wacha will return in September in the best case scenario as he recovers from a stress reaction in his pitching shoulder. In addition, the Cards received unspectacular work from Shelby Miller and Joe Kelly. Masterson is due back soon from a DL stint for knee inflammation, and hopes to put this year’s struggles behind him before reaching free agency. The Cardinals are currently in third place and 2.5 games out in the NL Central, and one game out in the Wild Card.
The Cardinals also receive Littrell, a 22-year-old starter in High-A ball who was drafted in the fifth round last year out of the University of Kentucky. He owns a 3.60 ERA, 8.2 K/9, 3.4 BB/9, and 0.72 HR/9 in 100 frames this year. Littrell did not rank among the Cardinals’ top 30 prospects prior to the season in the eyes of Baseball America, though BA ranked the team’s farm system seventh overall.
Kelly, 26, posted a 4.37 ERA, 6.4 K/9, 2.6 BB/9, 0.77 HR/9, and 54.3% groundball rate in 35 innings for the Cardinals this year. He won the team’s fifth starter job out of spring training, but injured his hamstring in mid-April and missed nearly three months. Kelly will have two years and 116 days of Major League service after 2014, meaning he’ll likely miss Super Two status and won’t become arbitration eligible until after the 2015 season. He’s under team control through 2018. Kelly boasts an average fastball velocity near 95 miles per hour, a 3.25 career ERA, and 29 1/3 innings of postseason experience, but his peripheral stats don’t quite match up.
Craig, 30, has slumped to a .237/.291/.346 line in 398 plate appearances this year. He hit .306/.358/.492 in 1,420 plate appearances prior to 2014, suggesting he could bounce back for Boston. Craig signed a five-year, $31MM deal with the Cardinals in March 2013, of which about $26.4MM remains through 2017. The deal also includes a club option for 2018. Craig has appeared at first base and the outfield corners in his career, though he’s generally regarded as a below-average defensive outfielder. The Red Sox have designated hitter David Ortiz potentially through 2017, though first baseman Mike Napoli and outfielders Yoenis Cespedes and Shane Victorino are signed only through 2015.
The 2011 Tommy John procedure plays a large role in Lackey’s trade value. When the Red Sox signed Lackey to a five-year free agent deal in December 2009, concerns over his elbow led to a clause creating a club option for the league-minimum salary for 2015, which was triggered with the Tommy John procedure. That means playing for little more than $500K next year after earning more than 30 times that much in each of the previous four seasons. Lackey has told the Cardinals he plans to honor the club option, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
This season, Lackey has a bit over $5MM in salary remaining, plus a $500K assignment bonus for being dealt. He had been scheduled to start tomorrow in Boston as the Red Sox kick off a three-game set against the Yankees.
Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com first reported the Red Sox were close to trading Lackey to the Cardinals or Dodgers. Jon Heyman of CBS Sports first identified the Cardinals. Peter Gammons of MLB Network first named Joe Kelly and Allen Craig as part of the deal. WEEI’s Alex Speier first named Corey Littrell as part of the deal, while Yahoo’s Jeff Passan was first to report the cash involved. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Shelby Miller, or prospects?
Or Both?
Depending on the prospect, that’d be a massive overpay. John Lackey is controllable next year at $500k, but so is Miller, and Miller beyond that, still with upside.
He’s only controllable at that rate if he doesn’t take his ball and go home.
piscotty
interesting. Not sure what to make of that yet
good call, I was thinking Jon Jay, but the Cards’ brass loves him.
Piscotty and Cooney I’d guess. I don’t think Shelby will be part of it.
They’re reporting it’s Joe Kelly and Allen Craig.
Kelly I was sure of, Craig surprised me. Do they bring up Piscotty, and put Taveras in CF and Piscotty in RF?
I still think Jay will play CF but I can see them bringing Grichuk or Piscotty up.
I mean Jay in CF is a good option, Taveras isn’t hitting well, but Grichuk didn’t hit well in his time in St. Louis, I’d rather bring up Piscotty and give him a shot.
Really? Damn Joe kelly is a very solid looking cheap cost controlled pitcher!! I’d be surprised if it was him as the pitcher Im a Cub fan but I’d rather it be Miller if I’m a Cards fan
As a Cards fan, I’d rather get rid of Kelly. He has less upside then Miller. Miller if he can get his control down, will be a great pitcher.
Rather deal Miller over Kelly? No wonder you are a cubs fan lol
Yes. Rather deal Miller over Kelly. You’re living in the past, look at some meaningful statistics. And what does being a Cubs fan have anything to do with an opinion on a trade?
For who
Saw Allen Craig from someone. Not sure it makes sense though.
Allen Craig could make sense, but not as a headliner.
Not with Cespedes though, but I don’t even know what’s going on anymore.
They could always flip Cespedes to a team like the mariners, theres just no telling at this point.
I think they keep Cespedes and try to lock him up. Depending on how much he is obviously, they keep him and if they can’t retain him they trade him around next years deadline. Lose value a bit but if they can lock him up at a decent contract, they would love to be all over that
cespedes ends up being part of an offseason move to miami
For who?
big league replacement for Stanton. bunch of prospects and cespedes to bring the huge young bat back.
No way. They’ll keep cespedes. Hell be in a hitter friendly park for the first time as a home team. He’s done well in Oakland, but in Oakland every home run is a monster because it’s deep.
If they trade Cesp, the Mets will beat any deal over Miami. The fish don’t need OF’s and the Mets desperately need a cleanup hitter and corner OF.
The dominoes are falling!
I wanted Lackey but hopefully Boston is getting Shelby Miller so he cant throw at us anymore
Why??? Why do Dodger fans want to give up good prospects to land another arm when it changes little. You are already blessed in the rotation. Kershaw, Greinke, Ryu and Beckett (whos putting together a good year and has some extensive playoff experience) is more than enough to get you through the playoffs to a WS
Greinke’s going to opt out, Beckett could – and likely will – turn into a pumpkin at some point in the near future (oh, and he, too, will likely be
an FA at season’s end).
Then throw a bunch of money at Lester when the seasons done. And Im sure even if Greinke opts out, he’ll re-sign because A) has had great results with the Dodgers B) is on a winning team and C) its freakin LA
I’m equally sure that he’ll sign with whomever gives him the most money, and if the Dodgers could replace Greinke with any of Hamels/Lester/Scherzer for similar money, they’d jump on it in a heartbeat.
Lester is going back to Boston when the season is done; guaranteed!
definitely not guaranteed
Who said anything about good prospects? A’s were “set” in their rotation and went out and got Lester. Gotta put together a team to win the World Series
So you just wanted the Sox to hand him to you? To get Lackey you’d be giving up prospects and not ML roster players like the Cardinals gave up because you don’t have any that aren’t crucial come playoff time. Plus, even with the As additions Id say the Dodger rotation in the playoffs is better
Maybe for a deal centered around Gonzales?
Grichuk and Cooney? Just a guess.
getting an OF
I’ll guess Piscotty and Reyes
Pirates better pony up for David Price right now.
They should’ve ponied up for Lester. They have strong OF prospects and their OF is full and controlled long term.
Another outfielder? In Ben we trust. I guess. First place or last place next year?
All the outfielders!
all your outfielders belongs to us!
They are hoarding OF like the Cubs hoard SS!
I find it really funny that people think Boston’s getting Oscar Taveras.
Taveras seems very fragile tho..I wont question the player he can be cuz he has mad talent,but I seem to recall major character issues with him in ST. Yes I’m a Cubs fan but I do respect your franchise your team is ran & built exactly how I want ours & the Cubs are finally close to making Cards Vs. CUBS fun!! Taveras tho needs to show some signs of life in The Show tho he looks overmatched..
He struggled in the spring too. I think he’s trying too hard to make an impression.
he was still recovering from injury in the spring.
An outfielder, maybe they’ll flip Cespedes to the Reds.
Yeah wishful thinking..Who do the Reds even have that resemble a decent prospect?
Reds have tons of decent prospects. They have two in the top 50. Their farm system is middle of the pack. They don’t have a lot of wow prospects, but their top 10 is solid.
This is an absolute firesale by the Red Sox. If they got a top 5 prospect from the Cards (Piscotty, Kaminsky, Gonzales) or Miller, it’s a fantastic trade.
anything on tulo to to the mets
ML ready might be Grichuck and Miller. Not the worst if that’s how it goes.
Allen Craig most likely.
God, I hope so.
Sox won’t want Craig.
Oh really? they wont?
Heyman says SP and OF. Wow
I thought Cespedes was going to go with in this deal.
I’d sure love to see Cespedes in STL.
Craig, Miller and a prospect for Lackey and Cespedes sounds great. Wish that were the deal.
I think it would make sense for both teams, Cards may have to up the price a bit though.
Grichuk + Marco Gonzales
Something like that. Feels a bit heavy, but possible.
I’d rather it be Craig.
Some one said Kelly and Craig to BoSox
Don’t think Cards give up Kelly. Craig would be a net negative to the Sox I would think.
Masterson & Craig?
Grichuck and Gonzalez?
red soxs are really selling the house
so i guess we’ll see how Ben goes about rebuilding and how well it ends up in five years or so.
For who?! This is so exciting!!!!!
Huntington needs to get a deal done for Price, if we stand pat and do nothing, you are sending a bad message to the clubhouse… We need to get the best pitcher on the market and send a message to the Cardinals.
I can’t wait to see how his bat plays for the Cards, a team that was in desperate need of a consistent hitter like Lackey.
He’s replacing Craig, so not a lot to live up to
Exactly. Losing Craig right now is almost addition by subtraction for the Cards.
it is because Taveraz will get more playing time and develop a rhythm.
That is surely what they are hoping for, in a sense.
Still take their lineup over the Pirates/Brewers/Giants/Braves. Pitching and clutch hitting wins in the postseason and now Taveraz gets more playing time. WIN WIN WIN
Please no Craig. Please?
Craig and Kelly
Sorry.
Don’t mention it. How can you go from having no one to play outfield to having too many outfielders? And Craig may never get back to the form he had in 2013. And now he’s signed forever.
I don’t understand the purpose of Craig in this deal. Nap is at first, Cespedes is here (and Craig is horrible in the OF anyways), and Papi at DH. Where does Craig play? Unless they’re looking to flip Cespedes.
I think more likely they might trade to trade Nap. Put Craig at First next year and Nap could net a major league ready corner IF, middle IF, or SP prospect.
I don’t really get it either, unless he’s insurance for Victorino. I think he’s better suited to first base. And he’s right handed. I guess time will tell.
Mets would take Cesp right now if they are dealing.
Craig is backup DH
Craig is backup DH
Joe Kelly and Allen Craig.
Yep. I like it quite a bit.
Me too. I knew Mo was going to take the outfield situation out of Mike’s hands. Now who replaces Craig?
We get Piscotty I will be happy, liked him since he was at Stamford.
So…. what starters is Boston going to use for the remainder of the season?
Edit: well Kelly just answered part of that question.
webster rubby and who ever they have else
Anthony Ranaudo, Steven Wright, Webster, Rubby
Renauldo is getting the call, since he was moved back one day in case lackey got traded today. boston will now go with Workman, Renauldo, Del la Rosa, buchholz, and who knows who else.
Season start:
Lester, Lackey, Doubront, Peavy, Buchholz
Today:
Buchholz, Workman, De Le Rosa, Webster and whoever was acquired for Lackey?
It doesn’t matter. There are a bunch of youngsters waiting for an opportunity. Now is their opportunity to prove themselves for next season. The Red Sox this season is an audition for next season.
Jim Bowden
Wow….@Pgammo reports Allen Craig and Kelly for Lackey…..if so… that is a landslide win for Boston
two OFs in one day what a steal for the red soxs
I like it for both teams. Cards had obviously gotten over Craig, and he’s signed for a team friendly deal if he starts hitting again. Kelly is a back rotation guy who is controllable beyond 2015.
Cards get a solid #3-4 this year and next. Win-Win
Disagree. That’s not a great return at all. Kelly had a marvelous year last year but isn’t that good (as this year’s results would indicate). And Craig awful now, old before his time. Would have MUCH preferred prospects.
Thank god. Someone else who knows what they’re talking about.
That’s Jim Bowden speaking, not me. I think it’s good for both teams.
Allen Craig had a 140 WRC + over 2011-2013 before falling off a cliff this year as a 29/30 year old. ROS projections have him at 110 WRC+ and I have a hard time seeing him being a below average hitter as a 30 year old next year in a better hitters park but only time will tell.
Cards win this trade because Lackey is a big upgrade for this year even with uncertantiy of next year and Taveraz will now play everyday!
Red Sox can win their side of the trade too if Kelly continues to develop and Craig bounces back. Higher risk but higher upside as any trade from a last place team to a contender goes. Also, Red Sox can now trade Vic or Nap in the offseason to clear even more salary for a potential Lester resigning or trade Betts+ other blocked prospects for an impact guy. Only time will tell if the Red Sox did well with their two trades.
Really? Seriously? We see this very VERY differently.
Those are Jim Bowden’s words, not mine. I think it’s a potential win-win, though, if Craig starts hitting again.
Kelly and Craig good deal.
Jon Jay and a prospect is my guess
Your guess is wrong, sorry
Or Kelly and maybe Craig
Joe Kelly and Allen Craig
Ha. The Red Sox cleary have no idea what they’re doing. Face palm. A .230 hitter with limited power and a marginal pitcher at best. I just don’t understand it.
That “no idea what they’re doing” won the World Series last year!
Come on..
This trade deadline has been so much more fun then last years lol
The Cardinals just got worse!!! They trade offense with an already weak offense? Kelly isn’t bad either. This is a shocker.
Does losing Craig really do anything?
Yes… Up until this season he has been good. Watch him go off in Boston.
I think playing in Fenway will help him a lot and a change of scenery won’t hurt either, but he was replaceable in St Louis with the depth that they have.
Maybe but like I say to everyone in PGH about Polanco. He’s a rookie!!! I understand why PGH wants Byrd back.
Lackey’s much better than Kelly. And Craig was dead weight.
Craig has half a down year and he’s “dead weight”? Seriously?
He’s beat up, just looks old (even though he’s only 30). Doesn’t look like a good ML hitter anymore. Sox likely won’t keep him. Not sure where he’d play anyway with Cespedes in left.
It’s easy to look old when Beltan and Molina are gone.
Lackey’s been a solid pitcher for the last 2 seasons and Oscar finally takes over RF full time, Kelly is gonna stink in the AL. Lackey also has Postseason and World Series experience
wow this is a solid deal for the red sox!
Holy Overpay, Batman….
Somehow I feel that the Cards just got worse, not better.
If the trade had been Craig ’13 and Kelly ’13, the Cardinals would have gotten worse. But it’s 2014, and neither one has measured up for a team thinking pennant. Plus, with a club option for ’15, Lackey is more than a half-year rental.
These last 3 seasons for the Red Sox have really confused me. From 69 or 70 wins, to WS champs, to a firesale season which would lead them to about 70-75 wins again. I just don’t understand them much anymore. Maybe it’s just me.
70 wins is pushing it. As a Sox fan, I’m just enjoying the ride.
EDIT: I started typing this before the players were known.
I can’t imagine Shelby Miller is the pitcher here. It’ll probably be Piscotty or Grichuk from AAA, and hopefully a low minors pitcher.
If it were Miller and Piscotty, considering Cespedes is only under team control for 1 year after this and is just an high .700s OPS guy, Miller and Piscotty could’ve been a framework to get Lester.
I guess we’ll see soon, but so far I have faith that Mozeliak was smart enough to not give up Miller (and hopefully not to give up Piscotty either).
getting craig is pretty much an ‘ert’ but shelby miller could definitely turn it around and be above average. they will at least get miller right?
They should have ponied up to upgrade from kelly to miller
Craig and Kelly? not an impressive haul at all…would rather have gotten prospects…oh well.
If I’m the Red Sox, I love this trade. Kelly has shown he is a capable MLB starter and Craig is a good hitter who has had an off-year. Great job buying low on Craig
Agreed. A lot of posters are hating on both of these guys. I havent watched any Cards games though this year so don’t know how he has looked, but the last 2 years for him were very good. Some guys just have an off year. There is still time for him to manage a respectable season. Playing in Fenway should help that too.
Kelly has good control and yet no one thinks he will keep it up solely because his xFIP and FIP are closer to 4.5 than 2.5, I think he will become a mainstay #3 starter
Horrible deal for Boston
Really banking on comeback years.
but do you like the deal?
red soxs thoughts lets sell everything for something. pitching is much younger with these trades. plus they add depth to the OF with was a need
Wow. Cespedes and now Craig… Boston’s building that offense for 2015.
Love this trade as well.
Yeah to bad they’ll have no pitching staff for next year if Lester doesn’t come back.
Allen Craig and Joe Kelly for John Lackey. Wow! Cherington is on fire today.
Now in the unlikely event that Lester resigns in the Winter, Boston may very well look back on this day as a fleecing in their favor.
I don’t understand Bostons reasoning here. Lackey is a better starter than Kelly and Craig’s stock is really low now. The Red Sox basically just received extended team control over two inferior players for Lackey.
They needed offense for the corner OF and they get 2 guys who will benefit from Fenway. Kelly in the AL is gonna stink but the Red Sox knew they prob weren’t gonna get a better deal.
Craig has a super slow bat these days. I’m not sure Fenway’s gonna help that much.
Holt, Cespedes, Victorino, Nava, JBJ isn’t good enough for you.
Holt is a career minor leaguer having a career year, Nava isn’t very good besides what he did last season, Victorino is old and injury prone, and JBJ while elite defensively stinks on offense.
Look at JBJ’s batting average by month and you’ll see an increase showing he’s improving, I’m pretty sure most teams would be happy with Nava and Bradley off the bench. This team could put together a nice second half if they swap Craig for some prospects.
Craig’s stock is low? Well obviously that’s the best time to trade for a player. As a yanks fan they did good with this trade. Buy low on Craig and get Kelly who could be pretty decent
But you shouldn’t trade successful MLB players with team control reaming for a guy like Craig.
these trades dont look good for the last place soxs now but next year they could pay off big for them
Boston gets MLB talent for Lackey and Lester instead of prospects. It shows that they want to win next year. Look for them to have a busy offseason, will probably make a run at signing Lester again.
Oh boy, let’s trade our best remaining pitcher, with his incredibly friendly contract for 2015, for a back of the rotation starter and a guy who forgot how to hit. Keeping Lackey would’ve helped us win MORE in 2015.
Totally agree. Bad move for Sox. Really good for Cards.
I think a change of scenery will do wonders for Craig and plus playing in Fenway won’t hurt much either.
He can’t pull the ball. The Green Monster isn’t going to help until he gets fixed. I hope he turns it around! Long live Torty!
Sox would have to extend him, or he said he’d retire. They have so many young arms. This was an easy move for Cherington to make…
Who better to extend him than the people that hold the actual option. Makes no sense whatsoever. I’ve said that 6 times today all in Red Sox threads. Strange.
Piscotty for Marlon Byrd would make sense. Byrd’s the best hitting bat on the market and brings righty power. Taveras clearly isn’t ready and this buys another year to let him develop. Cards work Taveras into the mix next year reducing Byrd’s PA and keeping his option from vesting.
Won’t be a 1 for 1. Cards would have to give more than Piscotty to get Byrd, who is the best bat on the market
He’s a top-75 guy. I actually thought that might be a bit of an overpay and it would need to be Byrd & Bastardo to be honest. Phils simply signed Byrd this off-season so to turn that into a top-75 prospect is good.
I imagine the Phillies are willing to eat some of his contract, since it’s relatively light. That, plus the fact that he’s still the best RHB RF available, and not a bad fielder besides, means he’s worth a fair bit.
Just because the Phillies got him via FA doesn’t mean other teams get to have him for cheaper, or that they should undersell him.
Wow! Joe Kelly and Craig? Seems like a big win for Boston. Good rotation arm and a power bat that needs a change of scenery.
Power bat? 5 years in the league and he has 57 homers total. “power” is a huge stretch.
That’s a little disingenuous. His 162 game average is 20 HR.
Yeah, no, that’s wrong.
No, it isn’t. 57 HR in 469 career games averages out to 20 HR per 162 games.
Which is a shame, since he only broke 20 homers once and the rest of the time closer to his current amount of about 10. That’s a flawed # and you know it. So don’t bother arguing.
It’s not a flawed number. If you want to make the argument that he has a problem staying healthy, fine. But he has a .460 career slugging, and that includes his poor 2014 season. You’re simply incorrect.
He didn’t hit homeruns last year either. He could be fixed but he’s pretty far from his career numbers.
Works for both teams. Cards get playoff tested starter and leave room for Taveras/Grichuk by dealing Craig. Red Sox add a potential starter with a high ceiling and a veteran bat to help aid their rebuilding process
Phillies, Royals, Pirates fans… your worlds are not over because you haven’t made a trade yet. Your GMs are just smart enough not to overpay
The Pirates really took advantage of August last year, wouldn’t be surprised to see them wait til it cools down and go after a supplemental guys.
Andrew Miller, Wesley Wright and James Russell. Pirates will probably end up with 1 of them
Season start:
Lester, Lackey, Doubront, Peavy, Buchholz
Today:
Buchholz, Workman, De Le Rosa, Webster, Kelly
Improved on Doubront and Peavy at least!
To be fair Clay did better then all of them last year when healthy and was only the 5th starter to try to keep him healthy.
Where is he going to play. Papi is at DH, Napoli at 1st, with the money we owe Drew he’s at Short which means Bogaerts at 3rd, Holt in right, and Victorino in center now that Cespedes is in left.
Yep. I think he gets a few starts in the outfield but is gone by next year.
Drew will get traded today, Red Sox will eat the entire salary. Victorino is also on the block.
Shane isn’t going anywhere, and honestly I want Bogaerts to stop moving around, let him get comfortable, and in the long-term he is a third baseman. Could Mookie potentially move to short?
Craig is an awful 3B, and obviously can’t play center. He’s a 1B and corner outfielder, and obviously DH. But he ain’t DH’ing in Boston, and the other corners the Sox have are getting more PT. Weird.
I remember when Pujols left, how Allen Craig stepped up and replaced almost all of the production. How times have changed.
Why do I get the feeling Cole Hamels could end up a Dodger?
You must not know the Phillies GM very well.
Great pick up for the cards especially with lackey contract next year
He won’t play for $500k. He said he will restructure or retire
Boston’s robbing everybody today!
Not really…these guys are change of scenery candidates
am i correct in taking that as sarcasm?
Hardly. They better pray those young pitchers pan out, or they’ll be bad for a long, long time.
I’m going to go with sarcasm for $500, Alex.
hmmm. Please let that be sarcasm?
No, Lackey gets you Joe Kelly AND Allen Craig? What pictures of Mozeliak in compromising positions does Cherington have? I wouldn’t do Kelly alone for Lackey. Craig is going to be a monster in Fenway.
YOu wouldn’t do Kelly, who has struggled to a 2-2 record and could barely go 5 innings last night, with Lackey, who has put up Lance Lynn-like numbers. Really? Maybe adding Craig was too much, but Lackey gives the Cards a solid No. 3. And then slides to No. 4 when Wacha comes back in late August.
Now this is a steal, Good job Boston
Haven’t seen much of Craig this year, have you?
I would have done lackey for Kelly, and craig the past two years has been great, I’m sure he will get back to the player he is next year.
What makes you so sure? He’s 30 years old and entering the biggest part of his contract. Not nearly as great a deal for the Sox as many think.
AAV is still only 6 million for Craig and AAV is all that really mattters for the Red Sox.
Might want to check your math on that one.
Signed a 5 years 31 million contract so the AAV of his deal is 6 million a year. AAV is what effects luxury tax which is the only concern of a big market team of the Red Sox that are consistently around 150 million in payroll.
Now the only thing that might change that is does the AAV reset when a player is traded becaus ehten Craig would have a 8.5 Million AAV hit. Gets paid only 5 million next year either way then 9 then 11. Thatis equal to what they paid Julio Lugo 7 years ago
Does this set up a Napoli trade? Not sure if the Sox want Craig clogging up an outfield spot for Betts.
If Napoli is on the block is it safe to assume he is the best hitter out there for teams who need a bat and that the Sox could get a decent return?
I’d rather Rios, but he could fetch a pretty penny.
Rios could be off the market soon though, and then the Sox could put Napoli on the market after Rios is dealt. Napoli would get the biggest return once Rios is off the market because the drop off in bats is pretty big after Rios.
Marlon Byrd is better
He’s also older and I don’t know if RAJ will even deal him even though it should be a no brainer.
True. Amaro is a questionable GM.
Assuming Craig and Cespedes were brought in to to be every day starters in the OF, where do Victorino and JBJ fit? And what about Mookie Betts? Was looking forward to watching him play in Aug & Sept.
Victorino should be traded. Full out fire sale
I don’t know if anyone wants him for $13m next season.
Betts and JBJ fit in AAA…or AAAA not sure yet.
Boston is on a roll. Anything else?
sox smashed the Cardinals with this one..
Couldn’t disagree more
Ha. Just because you’ve heard of the players they’re getting back doesn’t mean it’s a good deal. Lackey has the reputation for being a royal jerk, so maybe the market wasn’t very good. This is two VERY expendable, low ceiling vets for a solid 2-3 SP. Nice for Cards.
So the Red Sox traded Lackey and his highly affordable option for next season for a pitcher who had one really lucky season (2013 Kelly) and hitter who can’t even swing a league average bad when his BABIP drops below .330 (Craig). Great trade Boston!
As a Cards fan, I can’t believe they did this. Giving up on Craig and Kelly after down years for an average starter at best? Good job Mo.
If Lackey is an average starter, I’m Billy Beane. Come on.
look at his record, besides 2 years he has been right around a .500 pitcher
First Jon and Jonny, now John? Who’s next, Johnny Damon?
Trade for Juan Gutierrez and Geovany Soto and Yan Gomes?
I guess I am safe to start Taveras on my fantasy team now?
Robinson recalled today.
It’s weird to me seeing the Cardinals trade for starting pitchers. I thought they grew like weeds in the Cards minor league system.
Injuries.
I thought the Cardinals were supposed to have a smart GM
This is great news for Oscar and Kelly…if Craig can keep Victorino on the bench (or injured) he should succeed at Fenway. Lackey will be Lackey
Kelly is a replacement level pitcher and Craig is only a good offensive player when his BABIP is above .330, terrible trade for Boston
The Green Monster serves as positives for both Kelly and Craig.
How does it help Kelly, he wont be hitting at Fenway.
The Green Monster keeps the ball in play, on other wise a HR.
Everyone loves to hit in Boston. Hardly few, enjoy pitching there.
As for the monster keeping the ball in play, I’d dare to assume that much more often, what would be just missed fly balls elsewhere, land 1-5 rows deep into the monster seats.
Also, wall ball line drives which would be hard hit outs if not for the LF playing so shallow in context.
That wall and Fenway’s overall park factor makes pitchers like Pedro even that more impressive in hindsight.
Man, this deadline is going wild. Players flying off the shelves like tvs on Black Friday!
Bold moves from the Cards. If Masterson continues to falter and another key hitter goes down, the Central could be even more open.
Love the name man.
The Cards have definitely improved their rotation. The talking heads seem to think the Dodgers don’t need to make any improvements but I believe the Dodgers need to get Price. Not so much to win the NL West, but to make it to the World Series.
Dodgers are one of few teams who could sway the Rays for Price. Throw Pederson and Urias towards the Rays, and I can’t see how the Rays don’t bite
I would include those 2 for Price. Thank God they didn’t for Lester. A rotation of Kershaw, Greinke, Price, Ryu, Beckett would be ridiculous.
Man I love what the Red Sox are doing. I think Kelly is going to be a really good pitcher and they got Craig on top Of that.
Kelly is barely replacement level. Craig was good for three years but his bat is incredibly slow now, can’t pull anything. I think both will be gone from Boston by Opening Day 2015.
You’re selling Kelly a little short. It’s hard to be better than replacement level in just 35 so-so innings. He was good for 2.6 bWAR last year.
I think you are the only one who thinks Kelly is going to be “really good”. He’s a #4-5, maybe reliever long term
I think by “really good” he means better than Peavy/Doubront.
Lackey, do you think on a different team he’ll be willing to play through that min salary while he would have retired in boston and then waited long enough for his contract to expire and then unretire and sign as a fa with another team? Will the trade not matter and he’ll retire anyway looking to miss time and then come back as a fa?
this is the question that lowered his value to the players the sox received right?
hell of a return for the boSox well done Mr. Cherington!
Craig yes, Kelly was midiocre in the NL. Imagine pitching in the AL against elite offenses in hitters ballparks with a DH instead of a pitcher batting.
Craig hit .300+ 2 years in a row and Kelly was 10-5 with a sub 3 ERA last year. These guys aren’t going to be headliners for Boston, Craig replaces Gomes as the 4th OFer and Kelly replaces Peavy at the back end of the rotation…and I still think Lester will replace Lester as the Red Sox ace in 2015.
Nope. Wait until you see Craig try to hit first. And hitting is his strong point.
Like the deals so far for the Sox. Don’t expect them to be done yet. Miller should be moved. With Craig on board, I can see an exit sign for Napoli and maybe Victorino. Drew and maybe Middlebrooks too?
Yeah, strange how it works. Their contracts are up at the end of the season and then they leave.
I’d say Drew is cut loose after this trade. They’ll shop him in the next couple of hours, offer to take a majority of his salary for little in return but likely no one will bite and they’ll release him. Middlebrooks, my guess is he’ll return in September and be thrown in on a deal in the offseason.
I can’t say I’ve seen an organization, with the record of the Red Sox, make these kind of trades at the trade deadline. I think they actually made their team better for now. The most improved team in their division. The team president said last week his team would take the trade deadline as a “binary process” (the Sox are a wonky bunch), meaning they would try to improve this year and for next. Typically losing teams get rid of proven talent for prospects, trading for next year. That’s not entirely what just happened today.
“I think they actually made their team better for now”
Currently, 12 games under .500 with virtually no chance of the postseason and trading upwards of 5-6 wins for 1.5-2 wins. When the dust the settles in a few hours the Sox will have a net loss on the so called “short-term.”
Just horrible deadline deals by the Sox.
Ok. I tend to feel the Red Sox did alright on this one. Full analysis is more of a “time will tell” sort of thing.
On Lackey, frankly with Lester gone I’d be worried about Lackey’s attitude problems returning if he stayed in Boston. This isn’t a sour grapes comment, just remembering his past. The Cards did a good job picking him up. However, as for his 500k salary next year, he was already threatening to retire rather than play for so little. So that point of the analysis seems moot.
On what the Sox got in return, Kelly seems to be a young potentially solid #3/4 pitcher and Craig is just having a bad year. So decent deal.
That said, throwing in the Lester/Cespedes deal… I can’t help but feel Drew’s days in Boston are numbered.
I hope so, Bogaerts should be the SS.
Exactly, which moves Holt to third full time.
Betts could start playing SS again with Bogaerts at 3B
I like this deal for the Sox. Not sure how many years Craig and Kelly have but I’m sure it’s past 2015.
There’s got to big a bigger move coming. Holt, nava, cespedes, JBJ, Craig, and Victorino. Not to mention they moved betts to the OF since he was blocked by pedey. To many OFs now. Maybe betts on the move for a big piece ala tulo or Stanton? Doubtful but it’s nice to wish
Send down JBJ and Betts
Not Bradley. His defense in center makes him a clear candidate to stay.
But his bat is just awful, yeah hes been a bit better in July but still I think he would benefit more from being sent down. Its fun to think about JBJ and Cespedes in the same outfield with their cannons. Good night base runners.
At this point I don’t think we’re going to see bat improvement by sending him down to the minors. And as you said, he’s improved this month. Time to bite the bullet, accept he’s a #8 hitter and enjoy the constant stream of web gems.
with more power in the lineup no on would care about JBJ offensive #s. The Sox just added some power to the mix we will see. I think the Sox can do some damage to opposing pitchers from here on out.
No way, if the voters vote correctly he’ll win a GG. I say trade Pedroia and put Betts at 2B.
“trade pedroia”
Yep
Better chance that the Yankees waive Jeter. Or better yet the Angels trade Trout.
If this led to Stanton being a Red Sox, I would streak all over town.
Careful. lol
Craig is under team control through 2017, Kelly 2019.
Not sure how the lineup will look by adding 2 OF’s. I’d like to see Bradley stay in the lineup because his glove is unbelievable but that would leave 3 OF’s (Cespedes, Craig, and Victorino) for 2 spots. Unless they trade Napoli or don’t believe Victorino will stay healthy, I’m not sure how Farrell will create this lineup.
Don’t forget about Nava. That’s 4 outfielders for 2 spots.
Not sure about this trade, yeah Lackey is 35 but they couldn’t go for a prospect? Craig seems like a 2.5 WAR player at best if he can rebound (big if). Kelly is just a young controllable starter but the Sox have so many young arms in the minors, I don’t know why they wanted Kelly.
I don’t like this trade, but at least I won’t care when Lackey retires after the season.
St. Louis will pay him to stay. It could be terrific for Boston. Kelly has talent-and Craig could recover. Perhaps a predicate to a Napoli trade
Yea I think Napoli is definitely on the move this offseason.
Note to Author: Error found. You say Littrell was not in the top 30 in the Cardinals’ organization before the season. Should read Red Sox.
at least you have a great college to be proud of, I went to Temple!
haha, what?
Amaro can’t be back next year, can he?
Well Boston’s grabbing mlb proven talent. Like what they’re doing
Good to see that Lackey will honor contract, even after seeing him get dealt. Just wouldn’t be right to collect 31 mil for min production and not follow thru on this.
The Sox have Ortiz potentially through 2017…. wait what? 😛
Just imagine Papi, cespedes, and Craig in the middle of the line up. They’re gonna ruin so many teams hope of making the playoffs
the Red Sox will still need to pitch to the opposing team.
I thought the Red Sox were rebuilding for 2015 by getting Cespedes for Lester. Then why trade Lackey for two mediocre players? Doesn’t make much sense to me.
Oscar Taveras approves the trade. 1st AB homerun!
Oscar Taveras approves the trade. 1st AB homerun!
Sounds good. We’ve upgraded the rotation, we can now commit to Taveras both this season and future seasons, and we get to keep both Miller and Martinez, who both have better upside than Kelly.
Craig has been a good player for us, but Taveras needs full-time at-bats, something he wasn’t getting with the outfield log-jam. And Taveras has a much higher ceiling than Craig ever did or had or will. So this is a win for the Cards if only that it clears up the outfield roadblock and erases the stupid Taveras platoon.
Jeez for this price, we could’ve gotten David price lol
Even with a low BA, Craig is the best RBI machine in the majors. He’ll come back and get 100 RBI’s without lots of homers. Bad trade. Lackey at 35; forget it. A 3.66 ERA
makes him a .500 W/L. Bad trade. Kelly carried the team for 6 weeks when all the other got hurt; remember that? Bad trade.
Great trade for both clubs