Today, Red Sox traded first baseman Casey Kotchman to the Seattle Mariners for veteran utilityman Bill Hall and a prospect.
Last season, in limited playing time, Hall hit just .218 with a homer and seven RBI.
So, why is this deal so great from a Sox perspective?
Hall will earn $8.4 million in the final year of a four-year deal he signed with the
Milwaukee Brewers. But as part of the deal, the Mariners will pay approximately $7.65
million of remaining salary, meaning Hall will cost the Sox about $750,000.
Kotchman's projected salary arbitration figure is $3.5 million. With the recent acquisition of Adrian Beltre, Kotchman would have been the odd man out. So the Sox are saving $2,750,000 by trading a guy they would have only used sparingly anyway.
Hall hit a career-best 35 homers with the Brewers in 2006, though he slumped last year, hitting a combined .201 with the Brewers and Mariners and adding eight homers and 36 RBI in 365 at-bats for the two teams.
Though Hall isn't a great hitter, the real beauty of the deal comes in his versatility, he
has played three infield positions (third, short and second) and all three outfield positions.
This versatility means that the Sox can carry one less bench player and instead, have
another pitcher on their 25 man roster. with a bench of Jeremy Hermida, Jason Varitek and Bill Hall, it appears Jed Lowrie may be the odd man out. At least until or if they trade Mike Lowell.
The possibility still remains of a DH platoon between between Ortiz and Lowell. an
expensive platoon, but a good one. it would only be for one year as Both players contracts expire at the end of 2010.
In the end, this trade saves money and frees up a roster spot. Both are what this team needed.
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