The Boston Red Sox have acquired 32-year old lefty starting pitcher Erik Bedard and 25-year old righty reliever Josh Fields from the Mariners in a three team deal. The Red Sox dealt 23-year old lefty swinging outfielder Chih-Hsien Chiang to the Mariners. They also dealt 23-year old righty swinging catcher Tim Federowicz, 22-year old righty reliever Juan Rodriguez and 24-year old righty starting pitcher Stephen Fife to the Dodgers for 23-year old switch-hitting outfielder Trayvon Robinson who was then dealt to the Mariners as part of this deal.

Erik Bedard should be a huge improvement over Andrew Miller at the back end of the Red Sox’ starting rotation. Bedard started 16 games for the Mariners this year and he was 4-7 with a 3.64 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP. He has now pitched in 160 games (157 starts) in his first 8 years in the majors and he is 55-48 with a 3.69 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP. Bedard is a good pitcher when healthy so the Red Sox will have their fingers crossed. Josh Fields came into this season as the Mariners’ #24 prospect according to Baseball America. Fields has pitched in 29 games (0 starts) in A+AA-ball this year and he is 1-2 with 3 saves, a 3.92 ERA and a 1.54 WHIP. He has now pitched in 81 games (0 starts) in his first three years in the minors and he is 4-5 with 10 saves, a 4.54 ERA and a 1.51 WHIP. The Red Sox like his upside and think he can help them in the bullpen as early as late this year.

Chih-Hsien Chiang was not a highly thought of prospect until this year. Chiang played in 87 games in AA-ball for the Red Sox this year and he was 107 for 317 (.338 avg, 1.046 OPS) with 67 runs scored, 18 homers, 76 RBIs and 6 stolen bases. Tim Federowicz came into this season as the Red Sox’ #21 ranked prospect according to Baseball America. He played in 89 games in AA-ball for the Red Sox this year and he was 92 for 335 (.275 avg, .734 OPS) with 44 runs scored, 7 homers, 50 RBIs and 1 stolen base. Federowicz is a solid defensive catcher in addition to being a solid hitter. 22-year old righty reliever Juan Rodriguez pitched in 32 games (0 starts) in A-ball this year and he was 2-4 with a 5.19 ERA and a 1.51 WHIP. He whiffed 88 batters in his first 59 innings this year, which shows what kind of arm he has. Stephen Fife pitched in 19 games (18 starts) for the Red Sox in AA-ball this year and he was 11-4 with a 3.66 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP.

That might seem to be a lot to give up for Erik Bedard, but he is a nice upgrade for the Red Sox. Getting Fields back in the deal also helps lessen the blow a little bit as far as what the Red Sox gave up in this deal.

The Red Sox have acquired 30-year old righty swinging 2B/SS/3B Mike Aviles from the Royals for 23-year old righty swinging infielder Yamaico Navarro and 23-year old reliever/starter Kendal Volz. Aviles played in 53 games for the Royals this year and he is 41 for 185 (.222 avg, .656 OPS) with 14 runs scored, 5 homers, 31 RBIs and 10 stolen bases. He has now played in 301 games in his first four years in the majors and he is 328 for 1,148 (.286 avg, .734 OPS) with 155 runs scored, 24 homers, 122 RBIs and 33 stolen bases. I’m wondering if the Red Sox are thinking about playing him in the RF to platoon with Josh Reddick, as Aviles mashes lefty pitching. Even if they don’t this was a good pickup as Aviles is versatile in the field and he’s a solid hitter.

Yamaico Navarro came into this season as the Red Sox #12 prospect according to Baseball America. He played in 16 games for the Red Sox this year and he was 8 for 37 (.216 avg, .626 OPS) with 6 runs scored, 1 homer and 3 RBIs. Navarro played in 36 games in his two years with the Red Sox and he was 14 for 79 (.177 avg, .461 OPS) with 10 runs scored, 1 homer and 8 RBIs. Kendall Volz pitched in 31 games (0 starts) in A-ball for the Red Sox this year and he was 2-3 with 2 saves, a 3.33 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP.

27-year old righty swinging 2B Dustin Pedroia is red hot for the Boston Red Sox right now as he has a 23-game hitting streak going right now. Pedroia has played in 21 games so far in July and he is 38 for 93 (.409 avg, 1.192 OPS) with 23 runs scored, 6 homers, 16 RBIs and 5 stolen bases. He has now played in 98 games for the Red Sox so far this year and he is 120 for 395 (.304 avg, .880 OPS) with 69 runs scored, 13 homers, 51 RBIs and 20 stolen bases. Pedroia is back to being his old self and it’s really propelling the Red Sox’ offense as they attempt to pull away from the Yankees in the A.L. East.

The Red Sox have placed 35-year old lefty swinging RF J.D. Drew on the 15-day disabled list due to a left shoulder impingement. Drew has played in 77 games so far this year for the Red Sox and he is 51 for 233 (.219 avg, .622 OPS) with 23 runs scored, 4 homers and 21 RBIs. The Red Sox have called up 28-year old switch-hitting infielder Drew Sutton to replace Drew on the active roster. Sutton played in 26 games for the Red Sox earlier this year and he was 14 for 47 (.298 avg, .787 OPS) with 10 runs scored, 0 homers and 7 RBIs. 24-year old lefty swinging Josh Reddick might get the shot to take over full-time in RF while Drew is out of action. Reddick has played in 33 games for the Red Sox this year and he is 37 for 101 (.366 avg, 1.046 OPS) with 22 runs scored, 4 homers, 20 RBIs and 1 stolen base. Reddick has been really impressive for the Red Sox so far this year.

The Red Sox have lost 20-year old lefty swinging 3B Garin Cecchini for the rest of the season due to a wrist fracture. Cecchini came into this season as the Red Sox’ #7 prospect according to Baseball America. Cecchini played in 32 games in A-ball this year and he was 34 for 114 (.298 avg, .898 OPS) with 21 runs scored, 3 homers, 23 RBIs and 12 stolen bases. He has a bright future with the Red Sox so they hope he heals up good.