Red Sox Make Surprise Trade With Division Rival Involving Promising Hurler

Boston made an interesting move Wednesday

Scott Neville | Jan 11, 2023

Red Sox Make Surprise Trade With Division Rival Involving Promising Hurler /

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The Boston Red Sox made a rare inter-division trade Wednesday afternoon involving a young southpaw that could seek revenge on his former club this season.

Boston traded left-handed reliever Darwinzon Hernandez to the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for cash considerations, the team announced.

Hernandez, a once highly regarded prospect, was designated for assignment Friday to make room for corner infielder/designated hitter Justin Turner on the 40-man roster.

The 26-year-old had a horrible stint in Boston last season but his two seasons prior were quite productive.

He posted a 3.17 ERA with a .195 batting average against, 30.2% strikeout rate and 150 ERA+ in 48 1/3 innings between 2020 and 2021.

Unfortunately, his walk rate, WHIP and hard-hit percentage were far too high, even when he was posting solid overall numbers.

It would have been beneficial for Boston to sneak Hernandez back into the organization but off the 40-man roster had he cleared waivers given their lack of left-handed depth -- but this result was the second-best option.

What makes the trade so interesting is that these low-level trades are typically used so that Boston can direct where Hernandez ends up.

Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom appears comfortable keeping the flamethrowing southpaw in the American League East.

While far from a blockbuster, inter-division trades are always worth noting, as they do not come often.

More MLB: Red Sox Seeking Multiple Middle Infielders; Here Are Three Strong Free-Agent Fits

Published Jan 11, 2023

SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the Boston Red Sox for Sports Illustrated's new page "Inside The Red Sox." Before starting "Inside The Red Sox", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer. His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join the Sports Illustrated Media Group in his current endeavor as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox." The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Red Sox" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu