HOUSTON -- Less than four hours before the MLB trade deadline, the Red Sox acquired first baseman Eric Hosmer from the San Diego Padres.
The deal was a four-player deal, with the Red Sox also acquiring prospects infielder Max Ferguson and outfielder Corey Rosier from the Padres, while sending former first-round pick Jay Groome.
Also, according to a major league source, the Padres are sending approximately $44 million in salary to the Red Sox as part of the deal, meaning that the Sox will be responsible for only the major league minimum portion of Hosmer's salary. He's due about $7 million for the rest of this season and $13 million each over the next three years, through 2025.
"We have struggled to find stability at first base this year,'' said chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom. "We think Eric will provide that. I think he'll be helpful between the lines and in the clubhouse.''
It's no secret that the Red Sox had had numerous conversations with the Padres about Hosmer before, but when the deal finally went through for the two clubs, it did so "quickly,'' according to Bloom.
Earlier in the day, Hosmer, 32, was nearly included in the Padres' landmark trade for All-Star outfielder Juan Soto from the Washington Nationals The Padres also received first baseman Josh Bell in the deal, making him redundant on the roster. But Hosmer, who had limited no-trade protection and had listed the Nationals among the 10 teams to whom he couldn't be traded, refused to waive his rights and be part of the trade.
San Diego then shifted and turned its attention to the Red Sox.
Hosmer, hitting .272/.336/.391 with eight homers and 40 RBI, gives the Red Sox a veteran contributor for a position that has underperformed all season. The Sox have split time at first between Bobby Dalbec and Franchy Cordero, with neither providing much production, and at times, porous defense. Collectively, Sox first baseman had amassed an OPS of .662, ranking them 26 out of 30 teams in Major League Baseball.
Hosmer will represent an upgrade, even if he's hardly a prototypical power-hitter for the position, with just eight homers this season.
The fact that the Sox are going to be responsible for $700,000 or so of Hosmer's salary for the next three years immediately turns him into an intriguing trade chip.
The odd thing is that Hosmer's arrival could stand in the way of Triston Casas, considered one of the Red Sox' two best prospects, who also plays first base. Casas recently missed two months with a high ankle sprain, but returned to the field for Worcester and has enjoyed a power surge. It was thought that the Sox might promote him to the big leagues either later this month or in September.
Ironically, Hosmer and Casas attended the same high school in Florida and have a close relationship.
"Triston's timetable will determined by Triston,'' said Bloom. "He's now getting back on track (after the injury. Getting Hosmer) allows him to develop at his own pace.''
Once Casas shows himself capable of playing on a regular basis in the big leagues -- presumably some time in 2023 - the Sox can then spin Hosmer off and acquire more prospects without having to pay down Hosmer's money to make a deal more palatable. In the interim, they now have themselves a capable of first baseman, one with postseason experience should the Sox defy the odds and qualify for the playoffs.
Hosmer originally was considered an above-average defender at first, but the defensive metrics have dipped of late. He's a -1 in defensive runs saved in 2022, though is surely an upgrade over Cordero and probably Dalbec, too.
As for Groome, he never managed to fulfill the potential the Sox had for him when they chose him at No. 12 in the first round in 2016. Considered one of the best high school pitchers in the draft that summer. But he suffered a torn ulnar nerve in 2018 and as a result, underwent Tommy John surgery, That cost him the rest of 2018 and all of 2019. The 2020 minor league season, too, was wiped out by the pandemic, meaning that Groome missed almost three full seasons.
Since returning, Groome has struggled with his control, and though he recently earned a promotion to Triple A Worcester, was no longer considered among the organization's top pitching prospects.
