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In what appears to be a depth-oriented move, the Red Sox have traded outfielder Jeremias Pineda to the Twins for third baseman Danny Valencia.
Valencia, who has hit just .198/.212/.310 for the Twins this year was quickly optioned to Triple-A, where he will likely stay at least until rosters are expanded in September. The Sox already had an open 40-man spot from their deadline deals, meaning no counter move needs to be forthcoming.
Pineda, for his part, is having a good season, but he's 21-years-old and making his third straight appearance in the GCL, so that's hardly impressive. The outfielder has some good defensive tools, but not much to speak of when it comes to the bat.
It's a bit of a curious move for the Sox to make given the presence of Andy LaRoche in Pawtucket, but it doesn't seem like they'll have much to regret down the line and if Valencia can ever repeat his (admittedly BABIP-inflated) rookie performance he could end up being worth something. Most likely, though, this is just another in a long line of forgettable deals.