Red Sox Deal For Erik Bedard
Added on Aug 01, 2011 by Scott in
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The Red Sox depleted starting rotation got some help yesterday when they acquired Erik Bedard from the Mariners in a three-team trade. As the deadline approached, it looked as if Boston might come up empty in their search for pitching help, but an eleventh-hour deal landed Bedard, who is fresh off the disabled list with a sprained left knee.
Manager Terry Francona is confident Bedard will provide the team the much-needed arm they’ve been seeking for months.
“He’s a guy who has shown he can pitch in the American League East. First half of the year before he tweaked that knee he was pretty solid,” Francona said. “His stuff was good. We’re excited.”
Bedard is 4-7 with a 3.45 ERA in 16 starts. He spent the last month on the DL after injuring his left knee in late June. The 32-year-old is 55-48 in in eight years with a career ERA of 3.69. He missed the entire 2010 season with chronic shoulder problems.
The move is magnified due to Clay Buchholz’s cloudy future. An MRI last week revealed a stress fracture in Buchholz’s lower back. He is currently on the 60-day disabled list and scheduled to see a specialist today. Whether or not he returns to the team this season remains to be seen, but it’s likely he will be shutdown completely. Prior to his back problems, Buchholz was 6-3 with a 3.48 ERA.
In addition to Bedard, the Red Sox also received outfielder Trayvon Robinson from the Dodgers for right-handers Juan Rodriguez and Stephen Fife and catcher Tim Federowicz. Boston then shipped Robinson to Seattle along with outfielder Chih-Hsien Chiang.
The hope is Bedard can stay healthy and fill the void in the starting rotation. Jon Lester and Josh Beckett have been dominant, combining to go 20-8. However, with Buchholz and Daisuke Matsuzaka out, and John Lackey suffering through a miserable season, Boston is desperate for a capable third starter to send to the mound during the playoffs.
The Red Sox boast the American League’s best record at 66-40 and lead the East Division by two games over the rival Yankees.
Source: ESPN.com
