Red Sox, Padres exchange role players

By Jim Callis
March 22, 2005

In a move both clubs made to shore up their depth, the Red Sox acquired Blaine Neal from the Padres for Adam Hyzdu on Tuesday. Neal is expected to claim one of the final spots in Boston's bullpen, while Hyzdu probably will head to Triple-A Portland and serve as outfield insurance.

Neal, a 26-year-old righthander, has spent parts of the last four seasons in the majors, including most of 2004 with the Padres after they acquired him in an April trade with the Marlins for Ben Howard. Neal went 1-1, 4.07 in 40 appearances with San Diego last year, with a 36-11 strikeout-walk ratio in 42 innings. Opponents hit .295 with six homers against him. Florida once considered Neal its possible closer of the future, but he looks like he'll settle into more of a middle-relief role. His best pitch is a 94-95 mph fastball, and he backs it up with a tight slider. He tends to pitch up in the strike zone, which can leave him vulnerable to the longball. His lifetime record in the majors is 4-1, 4.62 in 94 games.

Hyzdu was a Giants first-round pick in 1990 out of Cincinnati's Moeller High, the baseball factory that also spawned Buddy Bell, David Bell, Ken Griffey Jr. (Hyzdu broke his home run records) and Barry Larkin. Hyzdu consistently has hit for power in the minors, with 29 homers last year at Triple-A Pawtucket and 244 in his 15-season career. He hit .301/.413/.568 last year at Pawtucket, earning International League all-star honors and leading the league in on-base percentage. While his bat is what makes him attractive, he's a solid athlete with average range and speed and a good arm. Hyzdu seen big league time in each of the last five seasons, including a 3-for-10 stint in Boston last September. He hadn't hit for average in the majors, with a .233 mark in 318 at-bats, but he has shown power (19 homers, .462 slugging percentage) and drawn his share of walks (36, .314 OBP). With better luck, Hyzdu might have gotten a shot at being a big league regular or at least carved out a long career as a valuable reserve.