Mike Cameron Traded To Marlins For PTBNL Or Cash

What we have here is the Red Sox sending Cameron to Florida, along with some undisclosed amount of money to be put towards his remaining 2011 salary. In return, the Red Sox will receive either cash considerations or a young player, presumably a fringe prospect. I don’t know when we’ll find out which the Red Sox are getting, but it doesn’t really matter, because it won’t be exciting.

On Thursday, the Boston Red Sox designated outfielder Mike Cameron for assignment.

Even considering that Cameron is 38 years old and under-productive, I don’t think his playing days are over just yet. The end is near, though. And what this transaction does is give us an opportunity to reflect on the career of a guy who’s been a contributor, but whose abilities have been criminally underrated.

In the late rounds of a draft now, scouting directors are likely thinking, “If we take that bag of tools, maybe we can build a Mike Cameron.” That’s the goal, the archetype. If Cameron has a legacy -- other than being one of the better defensive center fielders of his generation -- it’s as one of the few toolsy late-round players to convert his athletic talents to baseball skills. I’d imagine his scouting report read something like this:

Then the breakout:

Mike Cameron and the Boston Red Sox may be about to part ways. Cameron was designated for assignment by the Red Sox early Thursday, and they have 10 days to trade or release him.

Cameron was one of the Red Sox’s major free agent signings of the 2009 offseason. He inked a two-year, $15.5 million deal and was regarded as a player who would bring an excellent glove and some decent offense to the Boston outfield.

This is an exceptionally preliminary report, but McAdam’s wired into the Red Sox as well as anyone, so this is probably true.

If and when this news becomes official, it will