Eric Hosmer is heading to the Red Sox after the first baseman invoked his no-trade clause in Padres-Nationals’ Juan Soto deal.
The Boston Red Sox were able to acquire a quality first baseman before Tuesday's 6 p.m. ET MLB trade deadline, and it didn't cost them much, at least from a financial perspective.
The San Diego Padres were busy Tuesday, making a historic deal with the Washington Nationals for generational talent Juan Soto. They also dealt first baseman Eric Hosmer, along with prospects Max Ferguson (infielder) and Corey Rosier (outfielder), to the Red Sox in exchange for pitcher Jay Groome.
Tomase: Hosmer trade addresses Red Sox' most glaring deficiency
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Perhaps the most significant part of the deal is that the Padres will pay most of what's still owed to the 32-year-old veteran, saving the Red Sox about $44 million, per Alex Speier of The Boston Globe.
According to the Associated Press, Boston won't have to pay Hosmer more than $760,000 in any of the next four seasons.
This is a significant savings for the Red Sox, who made a much-needed upgrade at first base with the acquisition of Hosmer.
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He's not super-productive at the plate, but his .272 average, eight home runs and 40 RBI in 90 games are still better than what the Red Sox have been getting from first basemen this season. Hosmer also is a very good defensive player, which is of great value to Boston.
The Red Sox made four trades in the 24 hours leading up to the deadline. Whether they will be a better team post-deadline remains to be seen, though, especially after Boston failed to address its bullpen issues and got worse at catcher after trading away Christian Vazquez.
