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However the Red Sox do not anticipate completing a trade before Christmas, according to a team source.
ESPN's Jim Bowden tweeted that the Sox would send minor league pitcher Stolmy Pimentel and first baseman/outfielder Jerry Sands to Pittsburgh. Multiple industry sources indicated to ESPNBoston.com that the Sox could include pitcher Mark Melancon, in addition to Pimentel and Sands, in return for Hanrahan.
ESPNBoston | Red Sox close on Joel Hanrahan
Looks like we need to hold our horses a bit on this Hanrahan deal. It's been weirdly reported -- names leaked out one by one a couple of days ago, and then everything froze. It sounds like a framework is there and we're about to have a new closer.
I'm conflicted. On the one hand, Hanrahan has had a good run of success. This is not the same as the Melancon deal, where we're acquiring somebody who scraped together a couple of good months.
We also have a glut of players on the 40-man roster, so there is a procedural element to this. We could free up some space for young players rising through the ranks, or through more acquisitions.
That said, I'm leary of trading assets for relievers (the Melancon deal, which I initially supported, being a cautionary tale).
The best part of it to me is that the Red Sox continue to bolster their ability to make deadline deals. While I do believe the Sox will be a competitive team this year, I don't believe they'll be a contender. The best-case scenario, in my opinion, is that we are 8-10 games out in July and decide to be a seller, and move Hanrahan, Koji Uehara, and other such spare parts for prospects. We could really bolster the farm system by moving some of these short-term assets to contenders.
Globe | Sox-Pirates still working on Hanrahan deal | Herald | New guy boost for Bard? | WEEI | Ross: 'Don't know why' Sox took approach
