Amed Rosario Acquired by the Los Angeles Dodgers

Amed Rosario is heading to Los Angeles…

The Los Angeles Dodgers have acquired the 27-year-old Dominican professional baseball shortstop in a trade on Wednesday that saw them send right-hander Noah Syndergaard to the Cleveland Guardians.

Amed RosarioRosario joins a Dodgers team whose .629 OPS at shortstop is the fifth worst in baseball and that just a day ago traded for super-utilityman Enrique Hernández, who had been the Boston Red Sox‘s shortstop.

Syndergaard, 30, will join the Guardians in Chicago on Thursday for the opener of a four-game series, but it’s not clear when he’ll make his debut, according to Chris Antonetti, Cleveland’s president of baseball operations.

He is rehabbing at Triple-A after hitting the injured list in early June because of a blister on his right index finger.

After signing a one-year, $13 million contract with the Dodgers in the offseason, Syndergaard posted a 7.16 ERA over a dozen starts, and the Dodgers no longer envisioned a long-term place for him within what remains a needy rotation.

The Dodgers’ hope is for Rosario, who is hitting .265/.306/.369 with three home runs this season, to capture some of his previous offensive and defensive magic. Last year, he registered more than four wins above replacement, and he discussed a long-term contract extension with the Guardians before agreeing to a $7.8 million salary in arbitration.

Rosario is due to hit free agency this winter and will be among the youngest players in the class. He made his debut with the New York Mets at age 21 and was traded to Cleveland in 2021 as part of the four-player package for shortstop Francisco Lindor and starter Carlos Carrasco.

Cleveland could replace Rosario with young infielders Tyler Freeman and Gabriel Arias, and also could turn to 22-year-old Brayan Rocchio, who made his major league debut earlier this season and is currently hitting .295/.385/.419 at Triple-A.

“We felt that this made sense for us, and now is the right time to give Gabby and Tyler some more opportunities,” Antonetti said. “We also wanted to be respectful to Amed. We recognize his place on our team and as a veteran leader and his expectations of himself and transitioning him to a lesser role would had an impact on him and the team and we were very mindful about doing that.”

Cleveland’s beleaguered rotation could get a boost from Syndergaard, the one-time MLB All-Star who will join his fourth team in two seasons after getting dealt from the Los Angeles Angels to the Philadelphia Phillies at the trade deadline last year.

Three of the Guardians’ top starters — ace Shane Bieber and right-handers Triston McKenzie and Cal Quantrill — are on the injured list, and the team currently has three rookies (Gavin WilliamsTanner Bibee and Logan Allen) starting alongside veteran Aaron Civale.

The Guardians’ pitching nonetheless has been among the team’s strengths, with a 4.07 starters ERA that ranks 10th in the major leagues. Cleveland could continue to pursue a bat to enhance an offense whose 420 runs are 25th in the major leagues.

Boston Red Sox Acquire Adalberto Mondesi from Kansas City Royals

Adalberto Mondesi is seeing red (sox)…

The 27-year-old Dominican American professional baseball shortstop has been acquired by the Boston Red Sox from the Kansas City Royals for left-handed reliever Josh Taylor, providing middle-infield depth to buttress losses this winter to free agency and injury.

Adalberto Mondesi The Red Sox also will be receiving a player to be named or cash considerations as part of the deal.

The Red Sox also officially announced their one-year contract with outfielder Adam Duvall and designated right-handed reliever Matt Barnes for assignment in a corresponding move. The 32-year-old Barnes, who has spent his entire nine-season major league career with the Red Sox, was 0-4 with four saves and a 4.31 ERA last season.

Mondesi, whose star-level tools made him a top prospect but whose inability to stay healthy has limited him to 358 games in seven seasons, is recovering from a torn ACL in his left knee. Boston lost shortstop Xander Bogaerts to the San Diego Padres and second baseman Trevor Story to internal bracing surgery on the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, leaving a significant middle-infield gap.

Enrique Hernandez, who has played center field for the Red Sox over the past two seasons, is expected to take over at shortstop, where he has played 100 career games.

Mondesi has spent most of his career at shortstop, though he has dabbled at second and third base in the past. He will make $3.045 million this season.

Kansas City once saw Mondesi as a foundational player in its rebuild, and he looked the part in the 2018 and 2019 seasons, hitting for power and stealing 75 bases with his elite speed. For him to be packaged with a player to be named later and return only a reliever illustrates how far Mondesi’s stock has fallen. Over his seven seasons, Mondesi’s career line is .244/.280/.408 with 38 home runs and 133 stolen bases.

Taylor, 29, has been effective in his two full seasons with the Red Sox but missed all of 2022 with a back injury.

In 2021, he struck out 60 in 47⅔ innings, walked 23 and allowed only two home runs. Taylor, who has thrown multiple bullpen sessions recently and is expected to be healthy in time for spring training, will join Aroldis Chapman — who recently signed a one-year, $3.25 million deal — Amir Garrett and perhaps Angel Zerpa as left-handers in the Royals’ bullpen.

Kansas City might not be done dealing, either. Earlier in the week, it traded center fielder Michael A. Taylor to Minnesota, and sources told ESPN the Royals have spoken with teams about utilityman Hunter Dozier — who’s owed $17.25 million over the next two seasons — and infielder Nicky Lopez, who had a WAR of 4.2 in 2021.

Miami Marlins Trade Miguel Rojas to Los Angeles Dodgers

Miguel Rojas is headed west…

The Los Angeles Dodgers have acquired the 33-year-old Venezuelan professional baseball infielder from the Miami Marlins, adding some depth to a segment of their roster that experienced the loss of Trea Turner and Justin Turner to free agency this offseason.

Miguel RojasRojas, scheduled to make $5 million in his final year under contract, was acquired in exchange for minor league infielder Jacob Amaya, a 24-year-old who batted .261/.369/.427 in Double-A and Triple-A in 2022.

Rojas debuted with the Dodgers in 2014 and was sent to the Marlins as part of a seven-player trade that ultimately brought Enrique Hernandez and, in a subsequent deal, Howie Kendrick to L.A.

Rojas spent the next eight years with the Marlins and grew into a leader in their clubhouse, batting .265/.318/.366 from 2015 to 2022.

Rojas has posted an adjusted OPS of only 83 over the last two years — 17 percentage points below league average — but was a Gold Glove finalist at shortstop this past season.

With the Dodgers, however, Rojas is expected to take on a utility role, filling in at second base, third base and shortstop. Miguel VargasMax Muncy and Gavin Lux are expected to see most of the time at those three positions this season, with Lux slated to be the everyday shortstop.

Rojas’ acquisition puts the Dodgers dangerously close to exceeding the luxury-tax threshold of $233 million for 2023, but teams can make moves throughout the year to dip back under.

Enrique Hernández Agrees to One-Year Contract Extension with Boston Red Sox

Enrique Hernández will be seeing red (s0x) for another year…

The Boston Red Sox have signed the 31-year-old Puerto Rican professional baseball utility player to a one-year contract extension, keeping the outfielder in the city where he starred in the 2021 postseason.

Enrique HernándezThe Red Sox did not disclose financial terms of the deal that runs through 2023, but sources told ESPN that the extension is worth $10 million.

A hip-flexor injury sidelined Hernández for more than two months this season and contributed to his struggles on the field after his career year in 2021. Hernández is batting .219 with a .637 OPS and has only six home runs in more than 300 plate appearances in the final season of a two-year, $14 million contract.

Hernández was due to hit free agency this winter and was coming off a season in which he hit .250/.337/.449, played elite defense in center field and compiled 4.9 Baseball-Reference wins above replacement (and 4.1 from FanGraphs).

“We like good players,” Boston manager Alex Cora said before Tuesday night’s game at Tampa Bay. “What he brings to the organization, defensively, in the clubhouse, and offensively he’s a lot better than what he’s shown this year. He’s a great example for those kids in there. It’s important to retain this type of player.”

In the Red Sox’s run to the cusp of the World Series last year, Hernández was the team’s best player. In the American League Division Series against the Rays, he batted .450 and slugged .900 with two home runs. He nearly equaled those numbers in the AL Championship Series, hitting .385/.407/.846 with three solo homers.

“To me, winning is the most important thing,” Hernández said Tuesday. “I want to win in Boston. Last year was a little taste of it, and it was a surreal experience. Just the passion of the fan base. I want to be able to experience winning the World Series in Boston.”

Hernández said in his talks with Chaim Bloom that the Boston team president promised him that the Red Sox “were going to be way better next year.”

Originally projected to be a super-utility player, Hernández emerged as a defensive stalwart in center field for Boston, though that hasn’t stopped the Red Sox from also using him at shortstop and second base this season. The right-handed-hitting Hernandez also played first and third base and both corner-outfield spots in Los Angeles, where he spent six seasons with the Dodgers.

Hernández, who was drafted in the sixth round by Houston in 2009 out of his native Puerto Rico, was set to be one of a slew of free agents for the Red Sox, who are expected to have one of the busiest offseasons in baseball. Currently in last place in the AL East at 67-69, Boston faces a winter in which star shortstop Xander Bogaerts is expected to opt out of his contract and starters Nathan EovaldiMichael Wacha and Rich Hill, plus reliever Matt Strahm, will be free agents.

The Red Sox will have less than $60 million committed to their 2023 payroll if Bogaerts opts out. They also could look to extend 25-year-old MLB All-Star third baseman Rafael Devers, who is set to hit free agency following the 2023 season.

Luis Garcia Helps Lead Houston Astros to American League Championship Title

Luis Garcia is celebrating an Astros-nomical feat…

The 24-year-old Venezuelan professional baseball pitcher helped shut out the Boston Red Sox to help lead the Houston Astros to 5-0 victory in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series on Friday night.

Luis Garcia

As a result, the Astros win the 2021 American League pennant and will advance to their third World Series in five years. The Red Sox, conversely, will head home for the winter, having lost the best-of-seven series by a 4-2 margin.

The Astros received a stellar start from Garcia, a rookie right-hander, who atoned for his poor performance in Game 2.

Garcia threw 5 2/3 scoreless innings, holding the Red Sox to a single hit (an Enrique Hernández triple in the sixth) and a walk. He struck out seven batters and showed no ill effects from the knee injury that plagued him earlier in the series.

The Astros were paced offensively by Yordan Alvarez, the ALCS MVP. He delivered a pair of doubles as well as a triple. He drove in one run and scored the other.

Nathan Eovaldi, pitching just two days after his Game 5 relief appearance, permitted five hits and a walk across 4 1/3 innings. He gave up a run and struck out four batters.

The Astros will await the winner of the National League Championship Series between the Atlanta Braves and the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Braves lead that series by a 3-2 margin heading into Saturday’s Game 6 at Truist Park in Atlanta.

Enrique Hernandez Agrees to Two-Year, $14 Million Deal with Boston Red Sox

Enrique Hernandez is seeing Red (Sox)

The Boston Red Sox have agreed to a two-year, $14 million deal with the 29-year-old Puerto Rican professional baseball utility player, according to ESPN.

Enrique Hernandez

Hernandez, originally acquired from the Miami Marlins as part of a seven-player trade in December 2014, was a key cog for the Los Angeles Dodgers over the past six years because of his infectious energy, defensive versatility and production against left-handed pitching.

Hernandez is a career .240/.313/.425 hitter, making him slightly below league average, but he can provide premium defense as a middle infielder and in the outfield.

From 2016 to 2020, Hernandez compiled 5.7 FanGraphs wins above replacement.

One of his greatest highlights with the Dodgers came in October, when he hit the tying home run in Game 7 of the National League Championship Series.