By Jim Callis
December 16, 2002

New Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein made his third trade in five days on Sunday. After previously solidifying the right side of Boston's infield with Jeremy Giambi and Todd Walker, Epstein found a utilityman in Cesar Crespo. In return, the Sox sent minor league shortstop Luis Cruz to the Padres.

Crespo, 23, is a 1997 Mets third-round pick out of Puerto Rico who had been included in previous trades for Al Leiter and Matt Clement. He's a line-drive hitter who has fairly average tools across the board except for a lack of power. His versatility is the most attractive part of his package, as he played all three outfield positions as well as second base, third base and shortstop in 2002. He spent most of the season at Triple-A Portland, where he hit .258-9-37 with 21 steals in 92 games. Crespo has spent parts of the last two years with the Padres, hitting .203-4-12 with nine swipes in 80 contests.

Cruz, 18, was the best defensive infielder in the Red Sox system. Signed out of Mexico in 2000, he was sent to low Class A Augusta last season and struggled mightily with the bat. He hit .188-3-15 in 58 games and missed time with a broken fibula after he was taken out on a hard slide while trying to turn a double play. Cruz did bat .292-0-9 in 21 games while rehabbing in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League, but he's still very raw at the plate.