Two trade rumors from the weekend…
-The Boston Red Sox have a hole at catcher. Their starter, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, is currently off to a .186/.255/.233 start, with 17 stolen bases allowed in 23 attempts over 13 starts. They have Jason Varitek, although Varitek is off to a worse start at the plate, and isn’t really a starting option behind the plate anymore. Ken Rosenthal mentioned that if the poor start continues, the Red Sox could look to deal for a catcher. He mentioned Chris Snyder as a possibility, and added that the Red Sox have been interested in Snyder in the past.
The Pirates are basically paying Snyder $2.75 M this year, due to the $3 M payment from Arizona from the 2010 trade. They also have Ryan Doumit, who is making $5.2 M this year. Both players have options in 2012. Doumit’s will likely be declined, since it is also tied to his 2013 option. Snyder’s is for $6.75 M, and is a possibility, since the Pirates don’t have any catching options to start the 2012 season, and since Tony Sanchez probably won’t be ready until mid-way through the 2012 season. This is just a case of Rosenthal mentioning Snyder as a possibility for Boston, but it should be an interesting situation to track. I don’t think the Pirates would be unwilling to deal Snyder, but I would guess that they’re more open to dealing Doumit, since they’re paying him more to play in a lesser role, and since Snyder’s option is much more favorable to the Pirates.
–Rob Biertempfel mentions that the Pirates are trying to trade Josh Rodriguez, their 2010 Rule 5 pick that was recently designated for assignment to clear space for Brandon Wood. I can’t imagine the return for Rodriguez would be anything great, since he still has the Rule 5 requirements attached to him. If no team trades for him, and no team claims him on waivers, the Pirates could try and work out a deal with the Cleveland Indians to retain him.
Tim started Pirates Prospects in 2009 from his home in Virginia, which was 40 minutes from where Pedro Alvarez made his pro debut in Lynchburg. That year, the Lynchburg Hillcats won the Carolina League championship, and Pirates Prospects was born from Tim's reporting along the way. The site has grown over the years to include many more writers, and Tim has gone on to become a credentialed MLB reporter, producing Pirates Prospects each year, and will publish his 11th Prospect Guide this offseason. He has also served as the Pittsburgh Pirates correspondent for Baseball America since 2019. Behind the scenes, Tim is an avid music lover, and most of the money he gets paid to run this site goes to vinyl records.
I really don’t want NH dealing with Theo. The Sox would end up with Snyder, Tabata and ‘Cutch and NH would wind up with a AAAA type.
and we all know how the Jason Bay trade turned out.
The Red Sox gave up one of the best hitters in the game AND 2 C/C+ prospects for 1.5 years of Bay. They didn’t hose anyone.
Trade them both. Why not, they are both overpaid. I’d take money in return.
I wonder what the Red Sox would offer in return for Chris Snyder. Snyder is more attractive to Boston than Ryan Doumit, and with the Red Sox catchers skidding, the Pirates may be able to take advantage and get a long-term player in return. It’s true that the Pirates catching would suffer without Snyder, but it may be worth dealing him depending on the return.
Jed Lowrie.
Lowrie’s gonna have to cool down considerably before the Sox even think about that deal. I think a swap of catchers (Salty for Snyder) is more realistic. I don’t know if that’s in the Pirates best interest either.