Padres trade All-Star Pomeranz for Red Sox prospect Espinoza
SAN DIEGO -- The San Diego Padres today announced they have acquired right-handed pitcher Anderson Espinoza from the Boston Red Sox in exchange for left-handed pitcher Drew Pomeranz. Executive Vice President/General Manager A.J. Preller made the announcement.
Espinoza, 18, has gone 5-8 with a 4.38 ERA (37 ER, 76.0 IP) and 72 strikeouts against 27 walks in 17 starts for Single-A Greenville this season. The right-hander was signed by the Red Sox as an International free agent out of Venezuela in July 2014, when he was ranked by Baseball America as the top International pitching prospect of the 2014 free agent class. He made his professional debut last season in the Red Sox organization, going 0-2 with a 1.23 ERA (8 ER, 58.1 IP) and 65 strikeouts against 14 walks with a .193 opponents batting average over 15 starts between the Red Sox Dominican Summer League affiliate, Gulf Coast League affiliate and Single-A Greenville. Following the 2015 season he was named a Rookie All-Star for the Gulf Coast League Red Sox by Baseball America. Espinoza was also recently ranked as the No. 15 prospect in all of baseball and the No. 4 pitching prospect by Baseball America in their Midseason Top 100 Prospects list. Over 32 professional starts total between last season and this season, he has gone 5-10 with a 3.01 ERA (45 ER, 134.1 IP) and 137 strikeouts against 41 walks with a .237 opponents batting average.
Pomeranz, 27, has gone 8-7 with a 2.47 ERA (28 ER, 102.0 IP) and 115 strikeouts against 41 walks with a .184 (67-for-364) opponents batting average this season. The left-hander was named a 2016 National League All-Star, his first career All-Star selection, and worked 1.0 scoreless inning in the game. He was acquired by the Padres this past offseason from the Oakland Athletics along with left-handed pitcher Jose Torres and a PTBNL (2015 Rule 5 selection OF Jabari Blash) in exchange for INF Yonder Alonso and LHP Marc Rzepczynski. Originally signed by the Cleveland Indians as a first-round selection (fifth overall) in the 2010 First-Year Player Draft, Pomeranz has gone 22-31 with a 3.66 ERA (160 ER, 393.2 IP) and 376 strikeouts against 168 walks in 124 games, 66 starts.
