Tweet
Boston Red Sox work on Will Middlebrooks deal with San Diego Padres - ESPN Boston
Third baseman Will Middlebrooks, who earlier this month acknowledged there was no apparent fit for him on the Boston Red Sox after the club signed free agent Pablo Sandoval, will have a chance to restart his career in San Diego.
Middlebrooks is headed to the Padres in a deal for catcher Ryan Hanigan, whom the Padres had just acquired in a multiple-player trade with the Tampa Bay Rays.
Multiple sources confirmed the Middlebrooks deal, which has yet to be finalized, reportedly pending a physical by Middlebrooks.
The Red Sox have now lost 14 of the 25 players that were on their Opening Day roster in 2014, a dramatic turnover from a team that won a World Series just 14 months ago.
Middlebrooks, who made an auspicious big league debut in 2012, hitting 15 home runs in just 267 at-bats before he fractured his hand when hit by a pitch by Cleveland's Esmil Rogers, never came close to matching that production in the ensuing two seasons, when he was either hurt or did not perform up to expectations. With the Padres, who are in the midst of a major transformation under new GM A.J. Preller, Middlebrooks is expected to compete with former Yankees farmhand Yangervis Solarte for playing time.
Middlebrooks is going from Fenway Park, where right-handed batters hit 68 home runs last season, to Petco Park, where right-handed batters hit just 49 home runs. The home run index for right-handed hitters at Petco was 76, meaning it was 24 percent lower than average, even after moving in the fences; the index at Fenway for right-handed batters was 103.
Middlebrooks is headed to the Padres in a deal for catcher Ryan Hanigan, whom the Padres had just acquired in a multiple-player trade with the Tampa Bay Rays.
Multiple sources confirmed the Middlebrooks deal, which has yet to be finalized, reportedly pending a physical by Middlebrooks.
The Red Sox have now lost 14 of the 25 players that were on their Opening Day roster in 2014, a dramatic turnover from a team that won a World Series just 14 months ago.
Middlebrooks, who made an auspicious big league debut in 2012, hitting 15 home runs in just 267 at-bats before he fractured his hand when hit by a pitch by Cleveland's Esmil Rogers, never came close to matching that production in the ensuing two seasons, when he was either hurt or did not perform up to expectations. With the Padres, who are in the midst of a major transformation under new GM A.J. Preller, Middlebrooks is expected to compete with former Yankees farmhand Yangervis Solarte for playing time.
Middlebrooks is going from Fenway Park, where right-handed batters hit 68 home runs last season, to Petco Park, where right-handed batters hit just 49 home runs. The home run index for right-handed hitters at Petco was 76, meaning it was 24 percent lower than average, even after moving in the fences; the index at Fenway for right-handed batters was 103.
Comment