The Boston Red Sox acquired relief pitcher Matt Thornton and cash considerations from the Chicago White Sox on Friday in exchange for minor league outfielder Brandon Jacobs, the White Sox announced.
Red Sox acquire Matt Thornton from White Sox
Boston made an attempt to bolster its mediocre bullpen by trading for White Sox reliever Matt Thornton.
Bob Levey
Thornton, 36, has spent eight of his 10 major league seasons in Chicago. He owns a 3.53 ERA and has struck out more than a batter per inning over the course of his MLB career, but his strikeout totals have decreased over the last couple of seasons.
Jacobs, 22, was a 10th-round draft pick by the Red Sox in 2009 and was recently promoted to Double-A. He is hitting .246/.334/.444 with 11 home runs in two minor league stops this season. That’s not far off from his career batting line, which is .265/.340/.445.
Boston’s starting pitchers have a collective ERA of 3.84, which ranks second in the American League. However, the Red Sox bullpen hasn’t matched the success of the team’s starters, posting a 4.19 ERA, good for 11th in the AL.
The Red Sox will reportedly receive less than $1 million in cash from the White Sox, according to CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman, meaning they’ll be responsible for the bulk of the $3.5 million owed to Thornton for the remainder of the season
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