The Red Sox and Cubs have agreed to a deal that will send Felix Doubront to Chicago according to Jeff Passan. Jon Morosi was the first to report the possibility of such a move:
Thus ends the Felix Doubront era in Boston, such as it was. Doubront emerged as a decent back-end option in 2012, when the Red Sox were short on starting pitching, but struggled down the stretch, seemingly fatigued by his first full season in the majors. Despite putting together an impressive run of strong starts in the middle months of 2013, he would suffer the same endurance issues down the stretch, ultimately being moved (begrudgingly) to the bullpen as the playoffs grew near.
Doubront was fantastic out of the bullpen in the postseason, doing his part in earning the Red Sox their World Series championship. The lefty threw seven innings allowing just one run, including 4-2/3 innings of work in the World Series alone, giving Red Sox fans hope his troubles were behind him.
The 2014 season, of course, has just been a wreck. Doubront got off to the same slow starts we've seen out of him in years past, but never turned it around. He holds a 6.07 ERA in 59 innings of work with a walk rate approaching four per nine innings, diminished strikeouts, and ten home runs allowed. He made his last start on June 20th, with the Red Sox shifting him to a relief role that rarely saw him actually used. This lack of playing time prompted the lefty to request a trade, with the Red Sox only too happy to oblige him. Frankly, Doubront could well prove a productive arm in Chicago. But he wasn't really ever going to rise from obscurity in this league, this division, and this park.
The Red Sox will receive the proverbial "player to be named later" for their end of the bargain. And while there have been good PTBNLs in the past, it's safe to say that the Red Sox aren't actually expecting to get anything out of this beyond an open roster spot and one less malcontent.