FanPost

Where Are They Now: Winter 2015

This post will serve as a slow jaunt through the 40-man rosters of the other 29 franchises to see where our former Red Sox players reside. For each player I'll be including their time spent with the Sox and a brief synopsis/comment section on each.

Let the memories begin!

Arizona Diamondbacks (1):

Rubby de la Rosa (13-14): de la Rosa was the primary prospect part of the package the Sox received to unload the Beckett, Crawford and Gonzalez contracts in the great purge of 2012. He spent two years with the Sox then was shipped to the D'Backs with trade partner Allen Webster to acquire Wade Miley. Still just 26, he looks to be an up and coming member of the D'Backs rotation in 2016.

Atlanta Braves (2):

Casey Kelly (08-10): Kelly was the 1st round pick of the Sox in the 2008 amateur draft and in 2009 was rated the #24 prospect in baseball by Baseball America. He was traded in 2010 along with Anthony Rizzo and Reymond Fuentes to the Padres to acquire Adrian Gonzalez. He battled injuries while with the Padres and was only able to log 40 major league IP from 2010-2105. He was traded by the Padres this winter to the Braves for Christian Bethancourt where the now 26-yr old will get a chance to find a spot in the Atlanta rotation or pen.

A.J. Pierzynski (14) The 38 year old Pierzynski spent a part of the 2014 season as the primary backstop for the Sox but was released mid-year due to poor performance (by both him and the team) and subsequently picked up by the Cardinals. The Braves are now his 7th club in his 18 seasons behind the dish.

Baltimore Orioles (1):

Jason Garcia (10-14): Garcia was drafted in the 17th round of the 2010 draft and pitched in the minors for the Sox unitl 2014 when he was selected from the Rule-5 draft by Baltimore. He logged 29+ league average innings from the Orioles pen in 2015.

Cincinnati Reds (1):

Ivan De Jesus (12): De Jesus came over to the Red Sox in 2012 as part of the same package that de la Rosa was in. He registered a grand total of 8 at bats with the Sox, all of them ending in outs with 6 of them ending in a strikeout. He was shipped out that winter in a package that included Mark Melancon in the now infamous "Brock Holt Trade". He looks to be a utility infielder on the Reds 2016 team.

Chicago Cubs (4):

John Lackey (10-14): Lackey was signed by the Sox in the winter of 2009 as a FA after pitching 8 seasons with the Angels. His 2010 season while it was league average, was not the type of season you want to have as a top FA signing for a club like the Sox. He then proceeded to have a miserable 2011 and miss all of 2012 with elbow issues. Having not endeared himself to the Sox fanbase in any way (including his fairly surly personality), Lackey was though to be a lost cause, but his 2013 season showed signs for hope and he was pitching a pretty solid campaign in 2014 when he was jettisoned to the Cardinals for Allen Craig and Joe Kelly. After a very good year for the Cards in 2015 he was signed by the Cubs to be their #3 man behind Arrieta and Lester.

Jon Lester (02-14): The one that got away? Lester was the 2nd round pick by the Sox in the 2002 draft and arguably the last best starting pitching project that the Sox have developed. He reached the #22 mark on BA's prospect list in 2006 and began his major league Sox career that year as a 22 year old. His Sox resume includes 6 200+ IP seasons, a 19 win season, 2 200+ Strikeout seasons and an unforgettable post-season performance in 2013 that led to a Sox World Series. Lester was traded in the summer of 2014 to the A's for Yeonis Cespedes and was signed by the Cubs prior to 2015. His 2015 season was solid but not spectacular and he has moved to the #2 role for the Cubs behind Jake Arrieta.

David Ross (08, 13-14): The 14-yr veteran backstop has two stints as a Red Sox under his belt. He first came over in 08 after he was released by the Reds mid-season but only saw 8 games and 8 ABs. In the winter of 2012 he was signed as a FA to split catching duties with Jarrod Saltalamacchia. Ross became Jon Lester's personal catcher and followed him to Chicago in 2015. He is the prime backup to Miguel Montero now.

Anthony Rizzo (07-10): Rizzo was drafted by the Sox in the 6th round of the 2007 draft. He was traded along with the aforementioned Casey Kelly to the Padres in 2010 to acquire Adrian Gonzalez. The Padres later traded him to the Cubs for Andrew Cashner (I'm guessing they probably wish they could take that one back) . Rizzo has quietly worked himself into one of the premier firstbasemen & power hitters in the league having just clubbed 31 HR and driven in 101 in 2015. Still only 26 years old he has the potential for some peak years ahead of him.

Chicago White Sox (1):

Adam LaRoche (09): It's easy to forget LaRoche's stay as a Red Sox player since it only lasted 9 days. Those fateful 9 days saw LaRoche log 19 AB for the Sox and he even hit a homer in a Sox uni. He was acquired using depth pieces Argenis Diaz and Hunter Strickland and was then later used in a 1B swap to obtain Casey Kotchman. Talk about moving deck chairs around. LaRoche has lost his usefulness as he now sits as a DH without limited ability with the bat and 2016 may see his career wind down.

Cleveland Indians (1):

Jerry Sands (12): Sands made his way into the Red Sox in the winter of 2012 - October to be exact, then swifty made his way out of the Red Sox that December. Having never suited up for the club he has the claim to fame to be part of BOTH the Gonzalez trade and the Brock Holt trade. He's the poster-boy for the AAAA player's club.

Colorado Rockies (1):

Jorge de la Rosa (01-03): de la Rosa was actually purchased from his Mexican league team in 2001. He pitched two inauspicious seasons in the minors for the Sox before being dealt to Arizona in the package that brought back Curt Schilling. He has since gone on to log over 1200 IP with MIL, KC and his current team the Rockies and remains to this day one of the few pitchers that have been successful pitching at Coors Field.

Detroit Tigers (5):

Anibal Sanchez (01-05): Sanchez an IFA signed by the Sox in 2001 as a watch and follow. He didn't appear in the Minor leagues until 2004 and last two years in our system before being a part of the package along with Hanley Ramirez that brought in Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell. As soon after he was traded to the Marlins system, BA ranked him #40 in their per-season Top 100 for 2006. He started for the Marlins that year and has since spent 10 seasons pitching above average ball for the Marlins and Tigers.

Alex Wilson (09-14): Wilson was a 2nd round pick by the Sox in the 09 draft and spent 6 years in the Sox minor league system and two stints with the big club that included 57 relief innings across 2013-2014. He was traded by the Sox in the winter of 2104 along with Yeonis Cespedes for Rick Porcello and turned in a pretty solid 2015 for the Tigers as a back-end bullpen option.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia (10-13) Salty was a once highly regarded Catching prospect, reaching as far as #18 on BA's pre-season 2006 Top 100. He made a brief appearance with the Braves before going to Texas and then coming to the Sox by way of a trade that sent out Chris McGuiness and Roman Mendez. Salty was never spectacular for the Sox and struggled mightily with his defense but he put up 3 solid seasons of league average hitting with some decent power for the 2011-2013 Sox before he was allowed to leave as a FA. He spent three seasons with the Marlins and now is looking at sharing time behind the dish for the Tigers.

Jose Iglesias (09-13): Iglesias was an IFA signed in 2009 who became well known across the league for his slick fielding but light bat. The Sox gave him some game time from 11-13 before trading him to the Tigers mid-13 as part of the aforementioned Jake Peavy three-way trade. Iglesias missed all of 2014 with an injury but showed last year that he can put up league average hitting numbers to go with his incredible defense at shortstop.

Victor Martinez (09-10): Martinez's tenure as a Sox player only lasted 1+ years and while his time behind the plate was a defensive adventure he certainly proved to be an asset with the bat during his short stay. Acquired from the Indians mid 2010 for three pitchers, Bryan Price, Justin Masterson and Nick Hagadone, Martinez was allowed to leave as a FA in 2010 and signed with the Tigers where he has been ever since. He has become one of the few hitters who have the rare combination of power, good on-base ability and limited strike-outs.

Houston Astros (1):

Josh Fields (11-12): Fields was a Sox farm-hand reliever for parts of 2011-2012. He came by way of a three-way trade in 2011 that also brought in Erik Bedard. Fields finally made it to the majors in 2013 with the Astros and had his best season as a pro last year as a swing-and-miss guy out of the pen. Houston nabbed Fields as a Rule-5 pickup in 2012.

Kansas City Royals (1):

Reymond Fuentes (09-10): Fuentes was the Sox 1st round pick in the 2009 draft and spent two seasons in the Sox farm before becoming the 3rd wheel on the trade (along with Kelly & Rizzo) with the Padres that brought in Adrian Gonzalez. Fuentes has amassed only 33 AB in the majors during 2013 with the Padres and is staring down his age 25 season as a roster member of the Royals. He's looking at this point to be a 5th outfield type if that.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim of the State of California of the United States (2):

Jose Alvarez (06-09) Alvarez was signed as an IFA by the Sox as a 16 year old in 2005. Ten years later he is now pitching for the Halos out of their bullpen and had a pretty decent season in 2015 putting up a ERA+ of 108 across 67 IP. It's been a long 9 year journey across the minors and the Carribbean Leagues but Alvarez (now 26) looks like he has made it. Alvarez left the Sox back in 2009 along with Hunter Jones to the Marlins for Jeremy Hermida, one of those trades that everyone probably forgot about - for good reason.

Daniel Nava (08-15): Daniel Nava was signed as an amatuer FA by the Sox in 2008 and stayed with the club until just last year when he was selected off waivers by the Rays. Nava had his best season when he saw regular time in 2013 posting a 127 OPS+ in 458 ABs. He looks like a strong candidate to make the Angels outfield which past Trout and Calhoun lacks depth.

Los Angeles Dodgers (3):

Frankie Montas (09-13): Montas was an IFA, signed at the ripe age of 16 in 2009 by the Red Sox. He spent 4 seasons in the minor leagues before being traded in the three-way trade between Boston, Chicago and Detroit that brought in Jake Peavy. While it seems very long ago, Montas is just now 22 and was ranked just inside the top 100 prospects in baseball by BA last year at #91. He logged both a few starts and some relief appearances in 2015 with the White Sox and looks to at least be a decent back end bullpen arm in a few years. *Montas was just traded to the Dodgers during the editing of this piece

Adrian Gonzalez (11-12): If you have been reading this linear we've already alluded to the three pieces that were used to bring Adrian Gonzalez to Boston. We've even also covered the fact that Gonzalez was jettisoned in 2012 out of town to bring in more pieces, one of which was also already mentioned. Gonzalez's short tenure in Boston was a good one, especially his 155 OPS+ 2011 season that saw him garnered with an All-Star nod, a Gold-Glove, a Silver-Slugger award and MVP votes. Things were looking up...then 2012 happened. Gonzalez enters his 5th year with he Dodgers in 2016 and looks to put up another good but not great year for the Dodgers.

Carl Crawford (11-12): I'll just take a pass here

Miami Marlins (0):

NA

Milwaukee Brewers (1):

Garin Cecchini (10-15): Cecchini is the newest member of the Ex-Sox club having just been acquired by the Brewers 6 days ago for some greenbacks. Cecchini was a fairly highly rated prospect, coming in at BA's #74 slot on the pre-2014 list but he has not shown an ability tot translate his minor league success at the majors yet. He logged 35 major league at bats for the Sox across 2014-2015 and at the age of 24 looks to have an opportunity to find a spot on the rebuilding Brewers squad.

Minnesota Twins (1):

Ryan Pressly (07-12): Pressly was drafted in the 11th round of the 07 draft by the Sox and pitched for 5 seasons in the minors before being picked up by the Twins in the 2012 Rule-5 draft. He has since logged 132+ relief innings for the Twins with an overall 118 ERA+.

New York Mets (0):

NA

New York Yankees (2):

Andrew Miller (11-14): Miller started his career as a young starter in the Tigers system before moving onto the Marlins. He struggled in both situations before Boston picked him up in the winter of 2010 for Dustin Richardson. The Sox tried what had been tried before using Miller as a started in 2011 to no avail and finally decided he'd make a good bullpen arm in 2012. Miller's swing-and-miss stuff proved dominant at the beck of the pen and he was leveraged in 2014 to bring in Eduardo Rodriguez from the Orioles. Miller had a dominant 2015 as the closer for the Yanks.

Jacoby Ellsbury (05-13): Ellsbury was the Sox 1st round pick in the 2005 draft and quickly worked himself into the lineup by the end of 2007. The fleet of foot CFer played the next 6 seasons with the Sox atop the order putting up some solid years (09, 11, 13) but also missing time with injuries (10, 12). Ellsbury holds the single season Red Sox record for SB with 70 in 2009. His 2011 season saw a power surge with 32 HR and 105 RBI which led to a 2nd place finish in the MVP race. Ells will be entering his 3rd year as the Yankees CFer and despite coming off of a down year in 2015 is still only 32 and may have a few good years left.

Oakland Athletics (7):

Raul Alcantara (09-11): Alcantara was yet another young IFA signed by Boston in 2009 and he spent just two years in the Sox system before being included along with Josh Reddick in a trade with the A's that brought back then closer Andrew Bailey. Alcantara has never made it past AA but is still just 23 years old and on the 40-man.

Felix Doubront (05-14): Doubront was an IFA signed by the Sox in 2005. He showed promise as a starter in the minors and ended up in the Sox rotation starting in 2012. Doubront started 27+ games in both 2012 and 2013 but ended up just below league average both years. He was given another shot in 2014 but fell on his face and was traded to the Cubs that summer for the transformative PTBNL. Doubront was able to log innings with Chicago, Toronto and Oakland from 14-15 and is now looking at a batle to earn a roster spot yet again with the A's.

Rich Hill (10-12, 15): Rich Hill may have the weirdest career of anyone looking to toe the rubber in 2016. The tall lanky lefty started out with the Cubs and logged 32 in 2007, then got hurt, then logged 13 forgetful starts for the Orioles in 2009 then came for his first stint with the Sox where he threw 31+ dominant innings in relief across the 3 seasons shuttling between AAA and the Doctor's office. Moving onto Cleveland in 2013 he put up a 6.28 ERA in 62 games as a LOOGY. 2014 was a mix of the Angels and Yankees adding up to 5.1 IP. The Sox picked Hill off the scrap heap for his second stint in 2015 and at the end of the year he basically looked like Clayton Kershaw for 4 starts. Your guess is as good as mine as to what he does in 2016.

J.B. Wendelken (12-13): Wendelken was a 13th round pick in the 2012 draft by the Sox. He spent two quiet years in the minors before being moved to the White Sox along with Montas for Jake Peavy. He was traded this winter to the A's for Brett Lawrie.

Jed Lowrie (05-11): Lowrie was picked in the 1st round supplemental of the 2005 draft by the Sox and reached the #73 prospect in BA's Top 100 in 2008. Lowrie worked as a utility infielder for the Sox from 08-11 seeing time at al 4 infield spots before being traded to Houston along with Kyle Weiland for Mark Melancon. Lowire spent one year with the Stros then 2 with Oakland then one with the Stros and now is back with Oakland.

Coco Crisp (06-08): Crisp came over to the Sox in the winter of 2006 along with Josh Bard and David Riske. The Sox sent Andy Marte, Kelly Shoppach and Guillermo Mota. Crisp was coming off two very solid seasons as the starting CF for the Indians but his three years in Boston saw a below average bat with albeit superb defense. Crisp was moved from CF in favor of the young Ellsbury and traded in 2008 to the Royals for Ramon Ramirez.

Josh Reddick (06-11): Reddick was a 17th round pick by the Sox in the 2006 draft and despite being such a low draft pick he worked his way up to a #75 spot in BA's Top 100 for 2010. Reddick had two cups of coffee in 09 and 10 with the parent club and was finally given a shot at playing time in 2011 where he put up a 109 OPS+ in 254 ABs along with above average defense in RF. It was looking like he might be a future Sox regular starting in 2012 but was traded in the off season for Andrew Bailey and Ryan Sweeney in a trade that in retrospect looks lopsided in the A's favor. Reddick has 4 seasons under his belt for the A's and has shown a good mix of power/speed/defense that makes him an asset. He's not a superstar by any means but a very useful player.

Philadelphia Phillies (1):

Dalier Hinojosa (131-15): Signed by the Sox as an IFA in 2013, Hinojosa is in a great spot with he rebuilding Phillies. Hewas claimed off of waivers in 2015 as the Sox had to make a 40-man roster move and looks to break into the Phillies bullpen in 2016.

Pittsburgh Pirates (2):

Mark Melancon (12): Melancon was acquired by the Sox in 2012 to be the closer and turned into anything but the closer with a 64 ERA+ and only 1 save, it was so bad Alfredo Aceves ended up as the Sox closer with 25 saves than year. Melancon was shiped off to Pittsburgh in the Brock Holt trade were wouldn't you know it - he turned back into a closer - and a pretty good one too - I guess it was the Boston air?

Allen Webster (12-14): Webster came over in the trade with the Dodgers along with de la Rosa. He was highly regarded by the scouting community and reached #49 on BA's pre-2013 Top 100 list. He logged 18 starts with the Sox across 13-14 but showed the distinct inability to find the strike zone. He was later shipped to the D'Backs to acquire Wade Miley and has since moved onto the Pirates where they will attempt yet another pitcher fix with Webster.

St. Louis Cardinals (1):

Brandon Moss (02-08): Moss was drafted in the 8th round of the 2002 draft and spent 4 years in the Sox minors before getting a shot in 2007-2008. He was shipped to Pittsburgh along with Craig Hanson in the 3-way that saw Manny Ramirez's Boston career end and Jason Bay's begin. Moss had always shown power in the minors but there was some worry that he was nothing more than a AAAA type player. He has since gone on to a career that includes stints in Pittsburgh, Oakland, Cleveland and now St. Louis.

San Diego Padres (1):

Manuel Margot (11-15): Margot was signed as an IFA in 2011 and spent 4 years in the Sox minor league system. He peaked at #72 prospect last year according to BA but looks to jump up that list quite a bit after a solid 2015 performance. He was traded this winter in a package to acquire Craig Kimbrel that has been discussed ad nauseum already.

San Francisco Giants (3):

Javier Lopez (06-09): It's rather hard to believe, yet Lopez is still toiling away in the majors for the Giants and will enter his 7th season with the club. He's carved out the LOOGY specialist niche very well pitching to a career 123 ERA+. His time with the Sox is often overlooked but right on par with his current work for the Giants. Across 06-08 he posted 179/154/191 ERA+ season respectively but then broke down in 2009 and was let go as a FA.

Jake Peavy (13-14): Peavy was brought in by the Sox via trade for the 2013 playoff run and while his 10 starts don't jump out at you, it's hard to argue with a World Series result. He was acquired in a 3-way trade that saw the Sox lose Jose Iglesias, Frankie Montas, JB Wendelken and Cleulius Rondon (oh who could forgot ol' Cleulius!?). The former 2007 Cy Young winner enters his age 35 season and his 2nd full season with the Giants.

Hunter Strickland (07-09): It's not often that throw-ins in a trade come back to do something in the majors, but Strickland is the exception. Picked up in the 18th round of the 2007 draft, Strickland was the 2nd piece that brought Adam LaRoche to Boston for 9 days. He worked his way through the Pirates and Giants systems and became a solid pen option for the Giants just last year.

Seattle Mariners (2):

Jonathan Aro (11-15): Aro was signed as an amateur FA by the Sox in 2011 and spent his career in the minors finally getting a change in 2015 logging 10+ innings for the parent club. He was shipped off to Seattle as part of the trade that sent Wade Miley and brought back Carson Smith and looks to log some innings for the Mariners in 2016.

Wade Miley (15): Miley's one year stint in Boston was kind of up and down yet a near average season overall. He was brought over using de la Rosa and Webster in the winter of 2014 and sent packing just a few weeks ago for the young Carson Smith and Reonis Elias.

Tampa Bay Rays (1):

James Loney (12): You know I had almost forgotten that Loney played for the Sox - maybe I'm still trying to put 2012 behind me or something. Loney was a part of the clearinghouse trade that sent Gonzalez/Crawford/Beckett out west. He logged 100 forgettable ABs for the Sox during a time when not many people cared much for watching the team and has since moved on to be just decent for the Rays,

Texas Rangers (2):

Anthony Ranaudo (10-14) : Ranaudo was the Sox 1st round pick in the 2010 draft. BA ranked him #67 in their pre-2011 Top 100. Ranaudo showed some promise in the Sox system but was a bit up and down. He got an opportunity in the big leagues in 2014 and proceeded to walk more guys than he struck out across his 7 starts, He was sent packing in a trade last winter for Robbie Ross.

Adrian Beltre (10): While Beltre only wore the Sox uniform for one year he's easily one of my favorite players to watch play the game. From his crazy knee swings to his fine defensive plays at the hot corner - Beltre is just pure entertainment and a fine overall player to boot. Beltre's 2010 saw him smash 49 doubles, drive in 102, post a 141 OPS+ and won him both an All-star nod and a Silver Slugger Award. He signed a FA deal with the Rangers and is heading into his 6th season with a crack at a potential Hall of Fame bid somewhere down the line.

Toronto Blue Jays (1):

Jonathan Diaz (13): Diaz was a Blue Jays draft pick in 2006 and he languished in their system before we borrowed him for a year to play some infield in the minors. That's basically what happened. He did log 4 AB in 2013 for the club and even scored 2 runs! Now he's infield depth yet again for his original club.

Washington Nationals (1):

Jonathan Papelbon (03-11): Like him or not (probably not) Papelbon made his mark as the Red Sox closer across 6 years including a World Series. As a 25 year old in 2006 he posted a ridiculous 517 ERA+ across 68+ IP and only had one of the 6 seasons (2010) where he was even close to average. Now he's chocking fellow players, suing his franchise and you know - just being a general curmudgeon. Kinda makes you miss the old "Shipping Up to Boston" jig days.

Dishonorable Mentions: The following players were drafted by the Sox yet not signed and are currently on rosters or free agents:

  • Mark Teixeira (NYY - 98)
  • Brandon Belt (SF - 06)
  • Pedro Alvarez (FA - 05)
  • Justin Grimm (CHC - 07)
  • Yasmani Grandal (LAD - 07)
  • Yan Gomes (CLE - 08)
  • Anthony Desclafani (CIN - 08)
  • Mac Williamson (SF - 11)