The Red Sox acquired reliever Brad Ziegler from the Diamondbacks for minor leaguers Jose Almonte and Luis Alejandro Basabe, according to a team press release. Blake Swihart was transferred to the 60-day DL to clear a 40-man roster spot for Ziegler.
Ziegler, 36, has served as Arizona’s closer in recent years. This season, the sidearmer owns a 2.82 ERA, 6.3 K/9, 3.5 BB/9, and 63% groundball rate, with just one home run allowed in 38 1/3 innings. The veteran groundballer will slot in toward the back end of Boston’s bullpen.
Notably, Red Sox closer Craig Kimbrel was unavailable Friday due to knee soreness, leading to a save chance for Koji Uehara. Kimbrel’s injury popped up Friday during pregame warmups, with ESPN’s Scott Lauber reporting that MRI results are expected today. The injury will likely keep Kimbrel out of Tuesday night’s All-Star game in San Diego. Another key reliever, Junichi Tazawa, was unavailable Friday due to shoulder discomfort. Earlier this year, the Red Sox lost key acquisition Carson Smith to Tommy John surgery, so it’s no surprise president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski felt the need to act. The Ziegler deal marks Dombrowski’s third trade of the young month, after his pickups of Aaron Hill and Michael Martinez.
[Updated depth charts: Red Sox and Diamondbacks]
This is Ziegler’s ninth Major League season. He’ll be eligible for free agency at its conclusion, having signed an extension with the D’Backs in 2013. In June of this year, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports spoke to Diamondbacks GM Dave Stewart, who said the team was considering extensions for relievers Ziegler and Daniel Hudson. Instead, Ziegler and the remaining $2.5MM+ on his contract were sent to Boston for a pair of prospects.
The Diamondbacks’ front office may be signaling a willingness to sell, given the team’s 38-50 record heading into the All-Star break. In an article Thursday, Jon Heyman of Today’s Knuckleball said the team was “getting the most trade hits” on relievers Ziegler, Hudson, and Tyler Clippard. Like Ziegler, Hudson is eligible for free agency after the season. The 29-year-old Hudson has worked his way into a setup role, having overcome a pair of Tommy John surgeries. Clippard, 31, will join Hudson in trying to handle the ninth inning for Arizona following Ziegler’s departure. He’s signed through 2017.
In Almonte, the D’Backs added a Low A starting pitcher who was signed out of the Dominican Republic four years ago for $610K. Almonte’s pitching coach Walter Miranda gave his thoughts on the young pitcher to MiLB.com’s Chris Tripodi in late May. Arizona also picked up middle infielder Luis Alejandro Basabe, not to be confused with twin brother and teammate Luis Alexander Basabe. Luis Alejandro is generally regarded as the lesser prospect, but he is hitting .311/.414/.471 in 271 plate appearances this year at Low A and will participate in the South Atlantic League All-Star game.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
I’m surprised. So the DBacks plan to resign him this winter? For all that talk of wanting to sign him and Hudson to extensions, they didn’t follow through on that.
They did one better if they do resign him. They got something back for him instead of just throwing money at him in after agency.
The D backs are probably the worst run team in baseball. ZIgler wasn’t worth much anyways, and they were not getting a drift pick for him. Basabe is a decent get.
Angels are worse. Repeatedly burn down their farm and sign 35 year olds to huge contracts. Now the d backs do that too, but not as often
I don’t really blame the Angels. I mean Hamitlon and Wilson were stupid but it wasn’t that bad a bet to think Pujols could get you 4-5 great years and a couple average before you had a 2-3 year terrible area. They are just in an awful situation, they only have one really good player, and he happens to be the best int he game, hard not to try to contend when you have the best player in the game.
Pupils deal was still a bad deal, too long and too much money for a guy who just left his prime. They paid him for the player he was not the player they were getting. Now they will be paying him 30 mil to possibly do when he is in his mid to late 30s and early 40’s. Angels have one of the worst run organizations in baseball
The only thing on the Pujols deal that I questioned at the time was his true age. I coached in a semipro league that he played in before he was professional….and that was the story on him even then. The age wouldnt matter during his Cardinal seasons…but when you go to sign an early 30s player that might really be more around 34…thats a big deal…they needed that first few seasons to pay off. It was kind of silly. Not about just the bad luck of bad production….but all those deals blasted a pretty decent farm season…they even lost a 20 plus year solid minor league affiliate over it. Trout came through cause he fell to them…thanks to Jack Z not pulling the trigger on drafting him in Seattle…but other than that its been Donn Roach and CJ Cron…not a lot of impact.
Dude, grammar
That’s really not all that bad for the internet.
Dude, you forgot the period.
Or explanation mark!
Couldn’t agree more. Dbacks organization is terrible. From manager all the way up. That team could have been a legit contender the last few years with any management
GM talk always has to be taken with a grain of salt. Moving ziegler from a team not likely to contend this year is a step in the right direction. Dave Stewart, however, has shown little to know understanding of how to value players/prospects as evidenced by his trades and international free agent signings…
Oh maybe they did and then numbers didn’t come close.
Perhaps talks with Ziegler did not go as well as hoped. It takes two to agree on a contract. If he wasn’t going to sign, they should have traded him, and they did.
The D’backs really didn’t get much for him. Quality pick up for the Red Sox. I like it.
Weren’t going to get much for a non-elite reliever who is a free agent at the end of the season. They can just re-sign him once the season is over.
Zielger has been one of the better and most reliable relievers in the game over the last five seasons.. The thing is, he doesn’t do it like Chapman with blowing people away. He does it with an almost unbelievable ability to generate groundballs.
The team was never going to get an elite package for him, but had they timed the move differently, a stronger return was not at all out of the cards.
Completely agree. Ziegler is a great pick up for BOS and his ability to keep the ball on the ground will undoubtedly play in Fenway. Stewart could have waited for the deadline and gotten a stronger return IMO (obviously not a Miller/Chapman return).
Disagree these are exactly the good kind of lottery tickets teams usually get for 3 months of a reliever. I like this deal for both teams.
Love the move for the Red Sox. They’re getting a solid reliever who did a good job in the closer role for Arizona. This move really helps out their late-inning relief.
Love the move. They needed another arm in the pen. Just hope this move doesn’t mean Kimbrel and /or Tazawa is going to the DL.
Well the timing of this move certainly leads me to believe that either Kimbrel, Tazawa, or both are going to miss significant time with their injuries. Honestly, I am worried most by Kimbrel’s knee. You don’t immediately send somebody out for an MRI if it is “just a sore knee”. I think that it is a serious injury that will most likely end his season.,
Pushing the panic button a little early, no? With the money and prospects invested in Kimbrel it shouldn’t come as a surprise he was sent immediately for an MRI. And since the sox were having health issues with some of their other relievers this is a great move. Get a serviceable arm out of the pen for what appears to be 2 fringe prospects.
I called that one didn’t I?
The younger of the Basabes is a decent talent but doesn’t have the ceiling of his brother Louis Alexander!
Ziegler is a decent ground ball pitcher who should help in the sox pen !
He’s not the same pitcher as Carson Smith but he’ll definitely help !
!!!!!
They’re twins, Sasha.
Younger? They’re twins. Are you really sure who was born first?
They got the wrong brother.
The wrong kid traded.
Dbags in sell mode already lol I remember their fans over the winter saying Greinke and Shelby Miller would take them to the World Series, the Greinke signing will go down as one of the worst
Note to mention they got totally fleeced by the Braves for Miller
What Big League production have the braves gotten from the trade? Prospects? Inciarte = Struggling. Blair = Struggled. Dansby on the way
All of them are pre arbitration. Miller is already Arb 1 and had a very real need to be a #2 pitcher in order for the Diamondbacks to succeed. As Miller goes, so goes Arizona. Inciarte was hurtto begin the season, but has been serviceable since his return. Given how badly the Diamondbacks need an actual outfielder on their roster, and the fact that they have been in need of another LH bat that can get on base, they would have been much better off with Inciarte still being on the team than Miller.
Miller has been worth -.2 fwar, blair -.3 and ender .7. So the braves have got more MLB production this year and will have those players for a longer time + whatever swanson ends up contributing.
Not sure why you’d decide to move the goal posts to just this years MLB production. Very short sighted.
Not shortsighted at all. People claiming it’s the HAUL of all Hauls, when it hasn’t been the case, so far. That’s what I’m saying. STILL too early write it in stone.
@tsolid Even if it doesn’t end up as an amazing haul (Swanson is the crown jewel, so yes it is early) the point is that the value (in terms of young talent and team control) that AZ gave up to acquire Miller wasn’t commensurate with what his numbers were even when he was successful with the Braves. It’s comical to even defend this trade (as the commenter above said ATL has received more production at the MLB level thus far, without the most important trade chip having contributed). I’m sure you believe that Miller is simply “feeling the pressure” of such a big trade, as Dave Stewart reasons for his struggles, even after having being dealt for (and someone who HAS outperformed Miller at the MLB level over the past two years) Jason Heyward.
The point here is not so much the haul but their ability to make future moves. Such a package might not end up to be much of anything or they could be perennial all stars. All that said such a haul tremendously weakened the OF defense and wasted some at least valuable trade assets. Now all they have is Miller. I imagine such a trade package could have proved more useful in landing an impact arm.
I’m not making ANY excuses, Inciarte wouldn’t be an everyday player on a contending team. Again, all Swanson is Right now is a “what may be”, so please spare me with your long soliloquy that didn’t prove much at all. Teams continue to grow prospects in the farm, so if there is another trade AZ will still have chips to trade.
You can have all the so-called Defensive guys, I’ll take the ones that can give me some Offense.
No, no, no, no – Swanson is an outstanding baseball player who has a .350 OBP at AA right now and has showed nothing that he would flop, as you are implying here. He is absolutely going to be an everyday guy at SS and most likely will be an all-star level player. Stop stanning for your team. Worst trade in the last 50 years at least.
I cannot believe you just are not taking the L on this. Insane. You have stockholm syndrome. I am an A’s fan but have no problems admitting Beane mega-blew the Donaldson trade right from the jumpoff. Grow up, every move your team makes is not always a winner. Blair is better than Miller, Inciarte is a sensational player and Swanson is a #1 pick who you do not trade, period. Stewart blew it, you need to just admit it.
I’ll take the guys that do both.
The thing is the two big parts of both of those trades are still relatively unknown. Who knows if barreto or Swanson turn out to be superstars or fall off? Trades like these take years to evaluate, not half a season. Blair and inciarte are both low value players, guys who arnt going to make or break this trade. Maybe Miller has an arrietaesqe season next year, and everybody forgets that he was traded for the first overall pick
No. That’s not how it works. You need to evaluate a trade with the information that is available at the time it occurs. Not sit back and pray for a miracle to change whether the trade goes from miserable to bad.
That’s so flawed. By your logic, the Orioles won the arrieta trade because they got a proven commodity in Feldman, even though down the it’s obvious Chicago won. I don’t know how you could believe what you are saying
First of all its NOT my team, don’t tell me what to do. You’re same 60yr old dude that always Poppin off like you know EVERYTHING. I never said Swanson would be a flop, I said he hasn’t done a thing at ML level. Go crawl back in your hole b4 the moderators warn you again, tough guy
That message is directed towards @justanotherfan. Should be justanotherdbag
Inciarte .225
Blair 7.99 era. Glad you are not a GM, even though you claim to know ALL.
50 years? That’s sorta hyperbole isnt it? That Teixeira deal Atlanta pulled off with Texas was a doozy. Hubbs for Lou Brock? When did that Frank Robinson deal go down…pushing 50 on that.
Stewart admitted he went after Miller because he’d been turned down by other sp on the market. Hes the exact guy you want playing your slots of you own a casino…he’ll pour it all in the machine
As a Sox fan, I love this pickup. Practically nothing for a half-season of work from Ziegler. Looking forward to seeing the sidearmer
Good move by the D’Backs. They aren’t contending this year so trade everyone who isn’t under contract for next year to the highest bidder. This doesn’t bar them from re-signing Ziegler in the offseason.
Great trade for my Sox. This is the kind of under the radar move that is going to drive us to the title
Lol!!!
you own the Red Sox?
He’s back
Big Papi!
Is this the good Basabe brother? Also like this trade either way. Ziegler is a good pickup who may not be elite, but you knew what you’re getting, unlike the rest of the pitching. Literally. Koji leaves 1 out of 3 splitters up and it gets cranked over the monster every time, Kimbrel chucks it and sees what happens… But it works for him, so I’ll take it. The only thing that scares me is you don’t know if you’ll get 3 K’s in a row or three walks.
With Kimbrel
No it’s the lesser basabe brother.. Had to double check quick before I got excited about this lol.. But def helps and is a shrewd move.. Essentially are best 4 arms are hurt, smith was a huge loss, koji isn’t the same anymore, taz was overworked last year, and Kimbrel well he hasn’t pitched like Kimbrel,
Ziegler hopefully can help solve our bullpen woes, at least a piece of the puzzle,
Best closer to ever come through Boston
Stop. Just stop.
Ok good. It is the lesser Basabe. And yeah I agree with you crosstownkid. It’s good to have a solid reliever to sure things up with the way this season has been going.
Those Basabes… must have been another of Boston’s package deals!!
Out of the 100 relief pitchers that have recorded a save, there are 79 that currently sport a better WHIP than Ziegler.
Well he’s not a closer so thats not all that surprising..that closers are better then him. They gave nothing for him
That is the knock on Ziegler. He is going to give up some hits and walks but he also alleviates that by inducing more double plays than anyone else in the game. With a sinker ball pitcher you are going to give up a good amount of “seeing eye” hits.
And because he is a ground ball pitcher, he also LEADS MLB in induced double plays with 10.
WHIP alone is a super weird stat to measure player goodness.
WHIP is just one measure of a reliever. On its own, it means little. Where does he rank in save pct? Where does he rank in clean outings? Where does he rank in stranding runners?
Good trade for the D-Backs. Save a couple million in payroll and move a player who will be gone in two months anyway. Good job d-backs. Something for nothing.
Lol Basabes brother probably isn’t happy
Both Zeigler and Hill are solid moves to bolster a contending roster – I like the somewhat off-the-radar nature of each transaction. As someone posted regarding the Hill deal, I also think the Red Sox are “just getting started.” Now, if Dombrowski would just fire Farrell we could really get things moving in Boston (hire Ron Gardenhire, too, please). I know, Luvollo, but I prefer Gardy.
Why Gardy over luvollo?
So, does this rule out the possibility of getting Teheran? Since Viz was supposed to be part of the “package deal”? Wonder who they’ll go after now… I rather them trade for a true Ace if they’re giving up the farm..
Unfortunately, there isn’t a true ace on the block. Teheran is probably the best available. He is also young, and on a very team friendly contract. Much more affordable than any true Ace.
Yeah I understand that there isn’t much on the market in terms of an Ace. But, I think they have enough to entice the ChiSox to trade Sale. I mean a man can dream right? Lol
Nice pickup for the sox. Basabe sounds like a pretty good get for 2+ months of Zeigler (plus shedding his remaining salary). Sox prospects suggested that they were going to move the now healthy Basabe up to around #10 in their July 15 update. Now Stewart needs to move Hudson next.
Wrong Basabe. The one moving up to ten is Luis Alexander not Luis Alejandro who the DBacks just acquired. Luis Alexander is an outfielder and still with the Red Sox.
“The primary piece heading back to Arizona is second baseman Luis Alejandro Basabe. Basabe, whose twin brother Luis Alexander was his teammate with the Greenville Drive prior to the deal, signed for $450,000 back in August of 2012. At the time they signed, the Basabes, who come from a part of Venezuela near the Colombia border where soccer is far more popular than baseball, were relatively new to the game, having only started playing a year or so before signing. While Luis Alexander burst onto the scene last year after getting pushed to Lowell, Luis Alejandro stayed back in the Gulf Coast League and put up a respectable, but not extraordinary, line of .260/.387/.310 with no home runs and eight stolen bases. During spring training of this year, however, Luis Alejandro impressed enough in a limited look that he started the season as the number 34 prospect in the system (after being previously unranked), broke into the top 20 in our midseason rankings at number 18, and was in line to be right on the cusp of the top 10 in the upcoming update following the July 15 draft signing deadline.”
I like this pick up for the Red Sox, especially with these unknown injuries popping up… Now, does it completely rule out a Teheran trade since Vizcaino was supposed to be part of the package deal?
Hurry up give Boston the Pennant NOT, this guy wont even do well in the AL.
Yeah, it’s not like he used a good reliever in the AL. Wait… Oakland is an AL team.
He was just fine in Oakland.
Yeah, because relievers in the NL face a lot of pitchers right? Just think a little bit!
Ziegler-Uehara-Kimbrel or Uehara-Ziegler-Kimbrel. Not bad for 7-8-9
I’ll take the three B’s, Bundy-Brach-Britton, instead. Especially considering the news about Kimbrel since you posted.
Wow Ziegler is the best bullpen piece and they trade him?!
Are you serious? He’s a free agent at the end of the year! They were going to lose him anyway.
i was actually kind of expecting that he wouldn’t leave sf after this series – seems like the kind of pickup they would want and need, low cost back of the bullpen guy
I disagree with many and think those are two very intriguing prospects they got for a reliever, for once Dave Stewart did not get completely hosed in a trade. Ziegler is also a rare breed: a reliever that’s consistent, I love this deal for both sides.
Very good deal for the Red Sox: Ziegler, cash for two good minor leaguers. Liking the sound of that!
-Green Monster News
(Instagram: @greenmonsternews)