The Boston Red Sox have acquired shortstop Adalberto Mondesi form the Kansas City Royals.
Adalberto Mondesi is being traded to the Red Sox, per source. The Royals will receive Josh Taylor in exchange, while Boston will also receive a player to be named later.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) January 24, 2023
The Red Sox get Mondesi and a player to be named later in exchange for reliever Josh Taylor. Boston has been looking for a shortstop ever since Xander Bogaerts signed with the San Diego Padres. They signed Trevor Story two seasons ago to fill that void for the inevitable departure of Bogarets. Story is now dealing with an elbow injury that is slated to sideline him for the majority of the 2023 season.
Trading for a shortstop made sense, as the Red Sox did not have any other options at the position. They would have to give utility man Enrique Hernandez keys to the position. He is best suited as their center fielder, however. Mondesi seemed to be the “best” shortstop available. Big names like Trae Turner, Carlos Correa, and Dansby Swanson are now all of the table.
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Mondesi is still only 27 years old despite going into his eighth season. He has spent his entore career with the Kansas City Royals. With a team like the Royals fully in rebuild mode, it is no surprise they would trade one of their better players away. The value in return probably was not the return they hoped for, but it does open the door for other players to get more playing time.
Mondesi is known for his speed and defense more so than is bat. Mondesi lead the league in stolen bases at 24 in the shortened COVID season. His career high in stolen bases is 43. He has a career .244 batting average and a career .687 OPS. Injuries have also hampered his career. He has played less than 60 games each of the last three seasons, so no wonder his trade value was so low.
As of right now the Boston Red Sox are +1600 to win the AL East according to MLB betting sites, tied with the Baltimore Orioles. Adding Mondesi does not really move the line at all. This was simply a depth trade that will be low risk and high reward if he stays healthy.
