Red Sox Trade Clay Buchholz To Phillies For Minor Leaguer

The Boston Red Sox traded Clay Buchholz, the longest-tenured member of their pitching staff, to the Philadelphia Phillies for minor league second baseman Josh Tobias, the team announced Tuesday.

Red Sox Trade Clay Buchholz To Phillies For Minor Leaguer

The Red Sox picked up their $13.5 million option on Buchholz’s contract at the end of last season, although there was always a possibility the 32-year-old right-hander could be traded during the offseason. This became nearly inevitable two weeks ago after the team finalized a deal for ace Chicago White Sox left-hander Chris Sale, giving Boston seven major league starting pitchers.

Buchholz, a 2015 supplemental first-round pick, went 81-61 with a 3.96 ERA over portions of 10 major league seasons with the Red Sox. The two-time All-Star went 8-10 with a 4.78 ERA in 2016, a season he split between the rotation and bullpen.

However, Buchholz faced competition from Eduardo Rodriguez, Steven Wright and lefty Drew Pomeranz for spots in next season’s rotation behind Sale, David Price and Rick Porcello. 

The Red Sox could have chosen to trade Pomeranz. and would have acquired a greater return for him by virtue of his lower salary and a contract that is controllable through 2018. However, several teams that spoke with president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski during and after the winter meetings suggested he strongly preferred to trade Buchholz, who is eligible for free agency after this season.

The Phillies agreed to pay the pitcher’s 2017 salary, which also lowered the prospect value the Red Sox received.

“When it came down to it, as we looked under all scenarios, the deal that made the most sense was dealing Clay,” Dombrowski said. “The others have some longer time with us as far as being with the organization. We have longer control over them. He’s in his last year, the dollar perspective. It was really our choice to pursue this one rather than some of the other guys.”

Phillies general manager Matt Klentak stated on a conference call that the team had asked the Red Sox about Buchholz as far back as last July, before the trade deadline, because they saw him as “a potential bounce-back candidate” even prior to his second-half resurgence.

“There’s no such thing as too much starting pitching,” Klentak said. “I’ve been saying all offseason that if an opportunity makes sense, we would explore that. And the Buchholz acquisition reflects that. This wasn’t necessarily a position we were trying to fill, but we felt the opportunity was right.”

Klentak also mentioned Buchholz’s history with Phillies pitching coach Bob McClure, who once held the same position with the Red Sox until he was fired in 2012.

Hindered by injuries, Buchholz made frequent trips to the disabled list. He never pitched more than 189⅓ innings in a season and averaged only 140 innings per season from 2010 to 2016.

Buchholz now joins a Phillies rotation led by 2011 AL Rookie of the Year Jeremy Hellickson, who went 12-10 with a 3.71 ERA last season. The righty accepted the team’s qualifying offer of $17.2 million this offseason.

The rotation is also expected to include right-handers Jerad Eickhoff (11-14, 3.65 ERA in 2016), Vince Velasquez (8-6, 4.12 ERA) and Aaron Nola (6-9, 4.78 ERA).

In other MLB news, the New York Yankees are reportedly interested in White Sox lefty Jose Quintana. The 27-year-old has compiled a 3.41 ERA over five seasons in the majors, and is under team control at reasonable rates until at least 2018.

FORT MYERS, FL – MARCH 16: Clay Buchholz #11 of the Boston Red Sox pitches during the first inning of the Spring Training Game against the Minnesota Twins on March 16, 2016 at CenturyLink Sports Complex and Hammond Stadium, Fort Myers, Florida. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images)