By Jim Callis
December 12, 2002

After ending the Jose Offerman debacle, the Red Sox went with a defensive-minded second baseman in Rey Sanchez in 2002. On Thursday, they switched gears and focused on offense for 2003, acquiring Todd Walker from the Reds for two minor league players to be named sometime after Monday's Rule 5 draft. John Tomase, BA's Red Sox correspondent, has learned that one of the players is third baseman Tony Blanco. ESPN's Peter Gammons, a BA columnist, confirms that and is reporting that righthander Josh Thigpen is the other.

Walker, 29, was one of the best second baseman in college history and led Louisiana State to the 1993 College World Series championship before the Twins drafted him in 1994's first round. He never fit in with Minnesota manager Tom Kelly, and was traded to the Rockies in 2000 and the Reds in 2001. Walker batted .299-11-64 in 155 games with Cincinnati this year, production in line with his career totals of .292-58-313 in 749 games. He's a line-drive hitter who makes consistent contact, capable of amassing plenty of doubles (42 in 2002) and occasional home runs. Walker is an average runner on the basepaths and has worked to make himself into a competent second baseman. A lefthanded hitter, he has improved his performance against southpaws dramatically, batting .269 and .278 the last two seasons, compared to .237 before that.

The main reason Cincinnati traded Walker is that he'll make $3.4 million in 2003, with another $925,000 possible in bonuses. With Rey Sanchez a free agent, Red Sox prospect Freddy Sanchez (no relation) was a leading contender for the second-base job before the addition of Walker. Sanchez now likely will get some more time in Triple-A, where he can work on his plate discipline and get more time at second base after playing shortstop for most of his pro career.

Thigpen, 20, signed as a 16th-round pick out of an Alabama high school in 2000 and was considered one of the Boston system's better athletes. He went 6-6, 3.92 in 25 games at low Class A August in 2002, when he was bothered by a knot in the back of his shoulder. He was sidelined for stretches and relegated to the bullpen and strict pitch counts for most of the year. His 96-mph fastball was the best among Red Sox farmhands and he also has a solid average curveball. But he's also very raw in terms of his changeup, command and feel.

Considered the top position player in the system the previous two years, Blanco has seen his stock fallen considerably and was light years behind Shea Hillenbrand and Kevin Youkilis on Boston's depth chart. The 21-year-old Blanco, who signed out of the Dominican Republic in 1998, still has impressive power tools. His pop and infield arm remained the class of the Boston organization until the trade. But he has hit just .248 in two years of full-season ball, and his 148-23 strikeout-walk ratio during that time is even more damning. The Red Sox have worked extensively with him, and he'll show signs of making adjustments in batting practice, but Blanco doesn't carry his lessons into game action. His swing gets too long, and he flies open in his stance trying to pull pitches way out of the park. After shoulder problems cost him time in 2001, he missed the first two months of 2002 when an errant pitch broke his left hand in spring training. He wound up hitting .221-6-32 in 65 games at high Class A Sarasota. Blanco doesn't move especially well at third base, but he does have a cannon for an arm.

This was new Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein's first trade, and it reveals the new regime's emphasis on on-base percentage and pitchability, as opposed to raw tools. Thigpen and Blanco have high ceilings but also an extreme lack of polish, and thus Boston deemed them expendable.

Dec. 16 update: Thigpen and Blanco were confirmed as the players to be named.