Red Sox-Astros Trade

[DOUGHBOYS]

Lowrie- Utility guy for Boston. Starting shortstop for Houston.
Wieland- Minoe Leaguer for Boston. Possible back of the rotation for Houston.

For Melancon- Closer for Houston. Seventh inning or set-up guy for Boston.

Off the top, a good trade for Houston.
As for Boston, we wait to see what they do with the other parts to their bullpen.

[Winston's Empire]

I am waiting on Boston to fill that closer spot. They are moving Bard to the rotation it sounds like, so they will need to look outside. Ryan Madson would seem a good fit there if the money was right, but he wants a mini version of what Papelbon got and that ain't happening!

[ToddZ]

My sense is this is in large part because the Red Sox brass is not high on Lowrie - they don't like the injuries and more importantly, it could be a clubhouse thing, I hear tell of his being "uncoachable". This could be clearing out the so-called bad apples from a clubhouse obviously in turmoil as much as it was a baseball move.

[751542]

i believe they might give melconen a shot at the closer role. it sure would be the cheap way to go. just a random thought

[Joe Sambito]

Now Ellsbury is really going to have no one to talk to...

[DOUGHBOYS]

Now Ellsbury is really going to have no one to talk to...

SSHHHH!

[Lobbyist999]

My sense is this is in large part because the Red Sox brass is not high on Lowrie - they don't like the injuries (...)

However, they put up with Youkilis' injuries and his emerging status as a 400 AB player.

[ToddZ]

My sense is this is in large part because the Red Sox brass is not high on Lowrie - they don't like the injuries (...)

However, they put up with Youkilis' injuries and his emerging status as a 400 AB player.

Which is why I followed that up with MORE IMPORTANTLY....

[Greg Ambrosius]

Well, this is a pretty big trade. The Nationals are starting to build a pretty damn good rotation:

Nationals To Acquire Gio Gonzalez
By Ben Nicholson-Smith [December 22, 2011 at 3:10pm CST]

The Athletics will send Gio Gonzalez to the Nationals for A.J. Cole, Derek Norris, Brad Peacock and Tom Milone, ESPN.com's Keith Law reports (on Twitter).

Gonzalez is under team control through 2015 and has reached the 200-inning plateau in each of the past two seasons without posting an ERA above 3.23. He'll join Stephen Strasburg and Jordan Zimmermann atop the Nationals' rotation. However, no MLB pitcher has walked more opponents than Gonzalez in the past two seasons and he's about to get expensive through arbitration (projected 2012 salary of $4.2MM).