Red Sox acquire Ziegler from D-Backs for 2 minor-leaguers
The Boston Red Sox made a splash to shore up their beleaguered bullpen, acquiring side-arming reliever Brad Ziegler from the Arizona Diamondbacks for minor-league pitcher Jose Almonte and minor-league infielder Luis Alejandro Basabe, the teams announced early Saturday morning.
Ziegler, 36, will provide some much-needed help for a Red Sox bullpen that's struggled and suffered myriad injuries in recent days. The nine-year veteran owns a 2.82 ERA with 18 saves and 27 strikeouts in 38.1 innings pitched, but he walked 15 batters this year. He's averaging 3.5 walks per nine innings.
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Ziegler's pitched most of the last six seasons in Arizona, and his 62 saves with the Diamondbacks rank fifth in team history. He told Steve Gilbert of MLB.com he'll join Boston on Saturday.
But the veteran, who came to Arizona in a deadline deal in 2011, left the door open for coming back as a free agent.
"As soon as the offseason starts, it's a clean start and I've got 30 teams I can negotiate with," Ziegler said. "I've got nothing negative to say about the organization, the franchise, the city, anything. They would definitely be something I would consider for sure."
Basabe has split time between second base and shortstop with the Red Sox Single-A affiliate in Greenville. The 19-year-old is hitting .310/.412/.467 with 16 doubles, 37 walks, and 14 stolen bases in his first season above rookie ball. His twin brother, Luis Alexander Basabe, was his teammate in Greenville.
Almonte has also spent 2016 in Greenville, and owns a 3.91 ERA with 45 strikeouts in 10 starts. The 20-year-old right-hander has been particularly dominant against left-handed bats, holding them to a .268/.303/.324 line on the season. All four of his home runs allowed in 2016 were hit by right-handers.
It's the third trade in a little over 24 hours for the Red Sox, who acquired veteran infielder Aaron Hill from Milwaukee for two prospects Thursday, then dealt cash to Cleveland for infielder Michael Martinez on Friday afternoon.