Brusdar Graterol Would've Fixed a Serious Red Sox Issue and They Got Bullied Out of it in Wake of Criticism
By Jerry Trotta
It's almost impossible to sit down and fathom the magnitude of which the Boston Red Sox embarrassed themselves last week.
As we know, the club's three-team blockbuster trade with the Dodgers and Twins hit a standstill after Boston became flustered with the medical records of Brusdar Graterol, a 21-year-old right-hander that Minneosta agreed to ship out to Boston in the original deal.
The trade was completed on Sunday after all of the controversy, and Graterol, because the Twins rightfully backed out of talks with the Red Sox, is now headed to Los Angeles, leaving Boston with a gaping hole in their bullpen.
The trade that will send right-hander Kenta Maeda and cash to the Minnesota Twins for right-hander Brusdar Graterol and the 67th pick in the draft -- which has around a $1 million slot value -- has been agreed upon, source confirms to ESPN. @Ken_Rosenthal was first with the deal.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) February 9, 2020
Do we think Chaim Bloom regrets taking the position as the Red Sox' chief baseball officer? Because his first few months on the job have been staggeringly forgettable.
To think that Boston pulled out of their initial agreement with the Dodgers and Twins because the media and fans were floored that the Sox weren't getting "enough" in return for a former MVP Betts is shameful, to say the least.
Does Bloom not realize his club were arguably a robust bullpen piece away from playoff contention last season? Sure, the starting rotation wasn't perfect, but the offense was superb and more than suited to carry the team into October. If only, however, that bullpen wasn't inept.
Brusdar Graterol's ? stuff. pic.twitter.com/Z1ZZdW9CNU
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) February 9, 2020
Graterol would have went a LONG way into curing those woes. Instead, the Sox acquired coveted shortstop Jeter Downs...when they already have a 27-year-old superstar in Xander Bogaerts, whom they just signed to a six-year, $120 million contract extension last offseason.
At the surface, Downs make the return haul more tantalizing, but he doesn't fill a need. Boston didn't acquire a single arm in a trade in which they coughed up a superhuman, five-tool outfielder. That's egregious.
The Red Sox being bullied into forfeiting their previous agreement for Graterol, a player the club is genuinely desperate for, is as incompetent as it gets.