Red Sox, D-backs Complete Deven Marrero Trade

The Red Sox traded utilityman Deven Marrero to the D-backs for a player to be named later on March 24. On Tuesday, Arizona sent minor league lefthander Josh Taylor to Boston to complete the deal.

Marrero has done what he was brought in to do, filling in at both second and third base for the D-backs this season. Taylor will report to Double-A Portland to begin his Red Sox career.

Red Sox acquire:

Josh Taylor, LHP
Age: 25

A non-drafted free agent who the Phillies signed out of Division II Georgia College & State in 2014, Taylor was a lefthander who scouts long thought might fit better as a reliever than a starter. Traded to the D-backs in 2015 in an exchange of bonus allotments, Taylor finally moved to the bullpen in 2017 and was sent back to high Class A Visalia this year after two years in Double-A. His stuff has played up out of the bullpen, as he’ll now bump 94-96 mph and he can cut and run his heater, which pairs well with a hard slider. Taylor doesn’t really have a weapon to retire righthanders (they are hitting .351/.405/.486 against him this year), but lefties don’t touch him (.143/.143/.214). He has a chance to rise as a lefty specialist.

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D-backs acquire:

Deven Marrero, INF
Age: 27

A first-round pick of the Red Sox in 2012, Marrero is strictly a utility infielder who stays on a roster for his defensive value. He’s an above-average defender at second base and third base and he can hold down shortstop when needed. Marrero doesn’t hit for average or power—he’s a career .206 hitter with five home runs in four seasons—but he fits on a National League club as a last man on the bench type.