Red Sox add much-needed Nakano help on Tuesday, acquire shortstop Adalberto Mondesi A player later drafted by the Royals in exchange for a left-handed reliever Josh TaylorBoth teams announced trades.
At Mondesi, Boston has acquired a very talented 27-year-old infielder, but he’s also been one of the most frequently injured players in MLB over the past few seasons. Dating back to the 2018 season, Mondesi has only appeared in 40% of his available games for the Royals, suffering a right shoulder impingement, groin strain, left shoulder subluxation, left hamstring strain, and an oblique injury. and, most recently, the torn ACL that wiped out the 2022 season. Both a left shoulder injury and a torn ACL required surgery.
It’s a daunting list of injuries for Mondesi, but nonetheless, you can’t help but be mesmerized by Mondesi’s blend of power, speed and defense. In 1366 major league at-bats, Mondesi has his 38 home runs, 54 doubles, 20 triples and 133 stolen bases. He is also above average at shortstop with his 23 outs in 2126 innings and he has earned his zone ultimate rating of 13.3.
Beyond injuries, that raw skill mix is also undermined by an aggressive approach and sub-par bat-to-ball skills that regularly lead to sub-par OBPs. Mondesi is a .244/.280/.408 hitter in the big leagues, instigating his 30.2% of at-bats while walking just 4.4% of his. 140/.204/.140 to appear in 2022, but that was just a small sample of his 54 plate appearances.
Mondesi has haunted scouts, fans and evaluators for years, but the Red Sox are the first non-Royals to try to keep Mondesi healthy and maximize the profits of these raw tools. Despite struggling to stay on the field, Mondesi has more than five years of service time in the major leagues through various stints on the injury list, so his service won only one year. He and the Royals sidestepped arbitration by agreeing to a $3.045 billion salary in December.
Boston’s need for middle-class help spiked during the offseason. xander bogaerts Headed to the Padres via free agency, trevor story Underwent internal brace surgery on his right elbow and will miss at least a good portion of the 2023 season. Boston signed. Adam Duvall Play in center field and push with it Enrique Hernandez to Nakano. The addition of Mondesi should allow him to do a lot of work at shortstop when healthy while Hernandez transitions to second base. Christian Arroyo It remains on hand as a utility option that allows him to play second base on a regular basis if Hernández needs to slip into shortstop if Mondesi is injured.
As for the Royals, the Mondesi trade represents disappointing results for a player they once viewed as a potential foundation piece. Includes a new cast of characters. Bobby Witt Junior and Defensive Outstanding Nicky LopezThe Mondesi trade should open up additional playing time for the 24-year-old player. Michael Masseywhat the organization wants is to be a prominent part of the infield for years to come.
Kansas City has acquired Taylor, an affordable and talented left-handed reliever who missed the 2022 season due to a back injury, for three years. He pitched 102 1/3 innings, posting a 3.69 ERA and posting an impressive 29.4% strikeout rate against a more troublesome 10% walk rate. Taylor averages about 95 mph in the heater, has an average grounder tendency, and in his career he has a swing percentage as high as 15%. He expects to earn $1.025 billion in 2023, with arbitration keeping him manageable through 2025.
As talented as Taylor, he had his own health problems during his professional career. The left-hander dealt with his back strain in late 2021 after missing time in 2020 with tendonitis in his shoulder, and then ended his season in 2022 as his back problems continued. missed the He has also struggled against right-handed hitters, producing .283/.375/.429 hits against left-handed hitters as opposed to .173/.247/.228 slashes.
It’s the second trade in days for the Royals, who cut more than $6.5 million from their 2023 salary by trading center fielder for Mondesi. Michael A. Taylor. newly obtained Josh Taylor and left handed Evan SiskIt also frees up some additional resources for the Royals to continue. report pursuit of Zach Greinke A reunion, or another bat to add elsewhere in the lineup.
Univision’s Mike Rodriguez first report That both sides are close to a deal for Mondesi. MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand reports that a deal has been struck to send Mondesi and his PTBNL to the Red Sox in exchange for Taylor.twitter link).
