UPDATE: Looks like my below tip on Desmond didn’t pan out – Svrluga says pitcher Emiliano Fruto is the player going to Arizona. Fruto was received from Seattle in the Jose Vidro deal.
UPDATE: A source tells me that 22 year-old defensive-minded shortstop Ian Desmond is rumored to be headed to Arizona to complete the deal.
Turns out the Wily Mo Pena trade was a three-team affair. The Nationals received Pena. The Red Sox will receive 25 year-old first baseman Chris Carter from Arizona. Since he’s not on the Diamondbacks’ 40-man roster, I believe the Sox can get Carter now. That leaves a player to be named later going from Washington to Arizona. Barry Svrluga has heard it’s someone not on Washington’s 40-man roster – perhaps Winston Abreu, Arnie Munoz, or Chris Booker. The D’Backs are looking for relief help, but those all look like journeymen to me.
Carter is a respectable return for Pena. According to Baseball America, he’s below average on defense but has the bat speed to become a middle of the order hitter. He’s put up decent numbers in Triple A since 2006, though Tucson Electric Park definitely favors hitters. Baseball Prospectus’s Kevin Goldstein isn’t jazzed with Carter, labeling him a Quad-A type. He’s definitely not appealing to scouts, but could one day make a decent DH. Interestingly, Todd Helton tops Carter’s comparables list but Dan Johnson is second.
