Matthew

Lugo

Vargas is a 19-year-old lottery ticket thrown in at the end of the deal. He has a solid 3.03 ERA across 11 appearances and four starts in the FCL and Single-A this season. He’s a long way from contributing and it’s anybody’s guess what type of pitcher he develops into over the year few years.

A third-round pick for the Red Sox in 2019, Zeferjahn moved to the bullpen full-time last year. He started the year strong in Double-A, throwing 13 2/3 scoreless innings but has struggled since being promoted to Triple-A, posting a 5.47 ERA and 1.50 WHIP despite displaying swing-and-miss stuff. He can hit triple digits with his fastball and also has a slider and curve but he’ll likely remain inconsistent until he can iron out his command issues.

Kavadas has huge power, as evidenced by his 17 home runs in 83 games for Triple-A Worcester this year. He also has a tremendous understanding of the strike zone with a 17.3 percent walk rate but pairs that with a major swing-and-miss issue that has led to 33 percent strikeout rates in Triple-A the last two seasons. Most of his issues come on breaking balls, but if he can ever make strides there, his power will play at the big league level. He just simply can’t play anywhere other than first base and is really more of a designated hitter than anything.

Lugo is enjoying a breakthrough year thanks to improved plate discipline but is hitting just .250 with a 27 percent strikeout rate in 35 games since being promoted to Triple-A. He has some positional questions that led the Red Sox to move him to the outfield this year but he doesn’t have elite power or speed so he profiles more as a middle infield bat offensively. He was the Red Sox’s 17th-ranked prospect, but he was also behind a few other similar players and and was going to need to be added to the 40-man roster this year, so the Red Sox decided to use him in a trade instead. It’s possible he could emerge as a utility bat for the Angels in 2025.

The Red Sox bullpen was absolutely shredded in July so getting reinforcements was a must. García was one of the top options remaining on the market, posting a 3.71 ERA with a 3.68 FIP in 43 2/3 innings out of the Angels’ bullpen. He pairs 85th-percentile fastball velocity with an 86th-percentile groundball rate and has posted a 1.15 ERA since June 15th while pitching in high-leverage spots for the Angels. With Chris Martin and Justin Slaten nearing returns from injuries, García will join them as part of a bridge to closer Kenley Jansen.

Lugo, 21, took a nice step forward in high-A last year, coming in at .288/.344/.500 after slugging just .364 the year before. Primarily a shortstop to date, he probably fits best at third or second, so it’s important that he continues to hit. He’s a long shot to turn into a major league regular, but if he can match last year’s line in Double-A this season, he could really up his stock.