The first major move of trade season for the Red Sox has been made. The Red Sox traded Jake Peavy to the San Francisco Giants in exchange for prospects Edwin Escobar and Heath Hembree. News of Peavy's move to San Francisco was first reported by Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. Jen Royle of the Boston Herald first reported that Peavy was close to being dealt this morning. Buster Olney of ESPN first reported the Red Sox' coup for Peavy.
The trade is pending approval from the Commissioner's Office, likely due to the Red Sox eating some of the remaining salary on Peavy's contract.
Peavy is 1-9 with a 4.72 ERA in 20 starts this year, averaging 6 1/3 innings per start. Peavy has also posted an 0.7 WAR and a 4.81 Fielding Independent Pitching (FIP).Peavy will likely provide a solid starting option in the National League West. Given that the majority of the ballparks in the NL West (with the exception of Coors Field in Colorado) are pitcher's ballparks, Peavy's inflated home run rate (20 home runs allowed were most in the America League) will likely be lessened.
Peavy has made 15 straight starts without earning a win, the second-longest streak in team history.
The Red Sox received a significant coup in Escobar and Hembree. Both prospects represent top-10 talents in the Giants' farm system. Prior to the season, Escobar and Hembree were ranked the second-best and seventh-best prospect respectively in the Giants' farm system. Hembree was deemed the Giants' "closer of the future" by some who watch the team.
Baseball America's scouting report on Escobar:
"Escobar always had size and strength, but he got himself in better condition and made an adjustment to raise his elbow in his delivery, allowing him to locate his 92-93 mph fastball, and for the first time, throw a dependable breaking ball. He gained confidence in his slider and it’s a plus offering at times that he can throw early in the count or as a put-away pitch. His changeup also ranges from average to plus, and he held righthanded hitters to a .222 average. Escobar has a durable arm and likes to throw a lot between starts, so a bullpen role isn’t out of the question. He was pitching in that role in the Venezuelan League, but his three-pitch mix offers too much potential as a starter. He figures to start 2014 at Triple-A Fresno."
Baseball America's scouting report on Hembree:
"With a fastball that approaches triple digits and the makings of a power slider, Hembree has closer stuff. He works at 93-96 mph with quality life when fully healthy and got back up to 95 in the AFL. He's doing a better job of maintaining his arm slot, which has helped the consistency of his 82-85 mph slider. His changeup probably won't become anything more than a show-me pitch, but he has made some progress with it. If anything, Hembree's injury and diminished velocity showed him the importance of having dependable offspeed stuff. While he can be overpowering, he also has bouts of wildness."
Both Hembree and Escobar will be on the 40-man roster. It is also important to take into consideration that the Giants had the 19th best farm system in baseball according to Baseball America while the Red Sox had second best farm system prior to the start of the season.