10:07am: Both teams have now announced the trade. Coca is headed to Milwaukee’s extended Spring Training program for the time being, according to the Brewers.
9:50am: The Brewers will acquire minor league shortstop Yeison Coca from the Red Sox as the player to be named later in the offseason Tyler Thornburg/Travis Shaw trade, according to Evan Drellich of CSN New England (Twitter link).
Coca, 18, signed with the Red Sox back on July 2 in 2015 as a 16-year-old and has just one full season of pro ball under his belt. He spent the 2016 campaign with Boston’s affiliate in the Dominican Summer League, hitting .307/.370/.409 with a homer, five doubles, nine triples and 12 stolen bases (in 17 attempts). Baseball America rated Coca as the Red Sox’ No. 25 prospect this offseason, noting that he shows the instincts and defensive aptitude to eventually be an everyday shortstop with above-average bat-to-ball skills and below-average power. Certainly, any up-the-middle player with the potential to stick at his position is a valuable commodity. But, Coca is a long ways from realizing his potential, and there’s a fairly notable attrition rate among promising teenage shortstops.
Regardless of what happens with Coca, the trade has been overwhelmingly lopsided in Milwaukee’s favor to this point. Shaw has gotten off to an outstanding start with the Brewers, hitting .292/.339/.530 with 10 homers, 16 doubles and a triple through 210 plate appearances. While he’s only seen 57 PAs against lefties, he’s held his own in that limited sample, hitting .250/.316/.442. In a larger sample of 161 PAs while holding the platoon advantage, Shaw has laid waste to right-handers with a .307/.348/.560 triple slash.
The Brewers also added minor league righty Josh Pennington, who has yet to pitch in 2017, and minor league infielder Mauricio Dubon in that trade. The 22-year-old Dubon is hitting .294/.346/.383 with 25 steals (in 32 attempts) through 56 games for Milwaukee’s Double-A affiliate in Biloxi.
Thornburg, on the other hand, has yet to pitch for the Red Sox at all due to a nebulous shoulder issue. The righty has been shut down since Spring Training due to ongoing discomfort in his right shoulder, but there’s been no firm timetable placed on his recovery nor any suggestion of surgery to this point in the season. A healthy Thornburg would help to balance the scales on that trade, so to speak, but the strong play from both Shaw and Dubon is only magnified by a lack of infield depth (specifically at third base) that has plagued Boston throughout the 2017 season.
Man this trade is extremely tilted in the Brewers’ favor. To bad Tyler got injured because he is a very talented pitcher.
This trade just keeps getting better for the Sox (Cough, cough, sarcasm).
First Devers isn’t going to be a 3B, now they lose another interesting prospect, sucks to be a Boston fan (finally, for once in the last 10 years).
Euh, do I need to mention Bobby Valentine?…
Lets hope Thornburg comes back healthy. The Brewers did very well to cash in when his value was highest.
To be fair, the Red Sox never said Devers isn’t going to be a 3B. One scout said he doesn’t see him being able to stick there, but it’s always possible that the scout could be wrong.
Correct. Besides, third base, first base, left field or DH, Devers bat should play.
Bad thing he’ll probably be playing there for another team..lol
I would think it’s still good to be a Red Sox fan. They should be in the mix for a World Series Championship this year.
Can we trade a few pieces to get Travis Shaw back now please.. awful trade by DD
Can we say thornburg was injured and rescind the trade
No, it wasnt really. Its just turned out that way. Shaw wasnt this good last year, and Thornburg wasnt hurt that we knew of coming over to the Sox. And nobody knew how decimated we’d be at 3B either. This is just bad luck .
Classic Dombrowski trade … give him 2 more years and he will fully gut the system … no surprises here at all
The kids still young enough to change his training habits. He’s only in double A, if he puts in the work to trim off some fat, he has plenty of time to prove he’s able to stick at the hot corner.
As a Brewer fan, I am so far happy with how this trade has turned out (obviously). Lets remember we are only two months in to the season after the trade. This could really be the type of trade that works for both teams. If Thornburg comes back in the second half and the sox win the ‘ship with him as a solid set up man, the sox will take that. I’m not saying that will, but we can’t guarantee it won’t either. Coca is a typical Stearns pick up. He is stacking the brewers system with young players who have potential, hitting on a few of them would make the trades big “wins”.
I agree… Stearns is looking like a gem. I really like what he has done for the brewers. Fun team to watch living in Milwaukee.
Since the red sox basically have no answer at 3B (Marrero is arguably their best option right now), its tough to say that the Sox will truly think this trade worked out for them until Devers makes it to the major league team. Baseball seems to be at an odd crossroads where teams dont know how to properly value middle relievers. The KC Royals success and then Andrew Miller’s impact have made teams like the Red Sox over pay for relievers in trades, yet the FA market for them seems inconsistent. Just my opinion.
agreed relievers are more valuable than they had been but now they might be a bit overrated
Well, padres have solarte and spangenberg available. Also Schimpf if you wanna go super cheap. Schimpf is a true 3 outcome guy and plays a decent 3rd. Walk strikeout homerun. Hed probably play better in Boston.
Any time the Red Sox come out on the losing end of anything it’s a good thing.
So many Sox haters
Stearns certainly robbed Boston blind here. Starting to hit on his trade with Astros as well.
i don’t think Stearns was the GM until after the Fiers/Gomez trade. Unless you’re talking about the Villar trade? Which has been nice for the Brewers.
“This deal’s getting worse all the time!”
“Pray I do not alter the deal any further”
He didn’t rob Boston blind. He certainly got the better part of the trade so far, but that’s just because of an injury. If thornburg comes back and pitches awful over a significant number of appearances, then he will have robbed them blind, but that is doubtful.
I think Thornburg will be back and pitch well and he had tons of control so it could end up ok for the Sox yet. but it sure could be if dubon hits as well
I loved having Thornburg in Milwaukee. When he does come back your going to have to be patient last time he had a major injury it took about a year until he came back and dominated. The Brewers rushed him back and he ended up spending most of the year in AAA
Yes he did. Dave overpaid grossly for a non closing RP and we all know it.
This is the case of both teams missing the Thornburg of 2016. Shaw’s been great. He’s helped put the 2017 Brewer bullpen into position to blow more leads.
Unless a team wins the W S., trades are not won or lost the first year. That said, when the trade was made I was more concerned with the quality and quantity of the minor leaguers for a reliever that I really didn’t know much about. Let’s remember though that Travis Shaw was not a hot prospect and slid back the second half of last year. The Sox thought they were selling high. Give Shaw credit for another great start. Hope he keeps it up. Nothing not to like about a player who apparently works his butt off to earn his place in the lineup. That said, hopefully Thornburg can get healthy.
It’s very true you can’t judge a trade Thai early. At the outset looks favorable but careers and seasons have to be judged. I agree Shaw wasn’t a top prospect and fell off the cliff right before second half. That bares watching.
The season is two months old. Give this trade until the season ends or at least until one of the players leaves the team. Travis Shaw did very well the beginning of last season too then forgot how to hit.
Sox fans are the most pessimistic fans in MLB!
Sox was great for the sox the first 2 months of the season last year, then he just seemed lost for the rest of the season. Can’t completely judge the trade just yet…
The trade that keeps on giving…GO YANKS!!!!
Might be giving at the moment but last I looked the best player in the trade is Tyler Thornberg. Having said that as soon as he comes back to do what he does the Sox will probably either win the trade or at least even it out for both teams. I like Travis Shaw but he is not an all star and he usually struggles in the second half. We will see. In addition the other 3 players are prospects that have a long way to go to be MLB contributors.
Unless TT’s career is over this one should look very different in due time.
DD are truly f-ed up this teams farm system we went from one of the best to the maybe the worst and in all those trade they really only have Sale to show (not sure if kimbral is him )