The Red Sox have made a last-minute deal to acquire catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia from the Rangers for Low-A pitcher Roman Mendez, Single-A first baseman Chris McGuiness, a player to be named later, and cash considerations.
Jarrod Saltalamacchia came up through the Texas system as a highly regarded catching prospect, but has had his problems in the majors, never really reaching the level that was expected out of him in 794 career at bats. So far he's having a mediocre year in Triple-A, with line of .244/.326/.445 in 238 at bats.
The Sox actively pursued Saltalamacchia after the 2008 season, but were ultimately unwilling to part with the then-struggling Clay Buchholz.
Roman Mendez came into the season as a big time breakout candidate in Single-A Greenville, but was absolutely shelled early on. He's had a little more success since being demoted to Lowell, but has still struggled. With a high-90s fastball and a strong slider, Mendez is seen by many as a future closer. Chris McGuiness had been having a big season in Greenville with a line of .298/.416/.504, but at 22-years-old was not playing age appropriate competition. Still, it seems like a fair bit to give up for a fallen prospect like Saltalamachhia.