In a deal that’s already being hailed by just about everyone as a win for the Red Sox, today they sent lefty starter Wade Miley to the Mariners for young (super good) reliever Carson Smith and lefty starter Roenis Elias.
The deal is notable because it further shores up the Red Sox’s bullpen by way of a starter trade – something they were rumored to be doing. It also gets the Mariners their Hisashi Iwakuma replacement in the form of a cost-controlled Miley. It makes me wonder what else the Mariners might do this offseason, since they’ve already been so active. There are rumors that their next target is Adam Lind from the Brewers.
As for the Red Sox, they save a little money in the deal, and it’s unclear where they go next after their big David Price signing and Craig Kimbrel trade. They may not ultimately be able to move Hanley Ramirez or Pablo Sandoval (free agent signing teams beware!), and they might not actually do a ton on the positional side.