July 31, 2005 at 2:07 AM
Prospects Bono and Perez sent to Arizona for Jose Cruz, Jr.
The Red Sox traded farmhands Kyle Bono and Kenny Perez Saturday night to the Arizona Diamondbacks for OF Jose Cruz, Jr., in an effort to strengthen Boston's already-depleted outfield.
Cruz was hitting .213 with 12 HRs, 28 RBIs while sporting a .347 OBP for the D-Backs at the time of the trade. Once a 30-30 player for the Blue Jays back in 2001, Cruz has struggled to duplicate the success he saw four years ago, with his home run totals peaking out at 21 since then. However, one of his biggest assets, in addition to a strong outfield arm, is his ability to draw walks, which no doubt caught Theo Epstein's attention while he looked to find a suitable replacement for Trot out in right field.
In acquiring Cruz, the Sox gave up Portland infielder Kenny Perez and Wilmington pitcher Kyle Bono. Perez, a product out of South Miami High School, actually began the year in Pawtucket before being placed on the disabled list in early April. However, with Roberto Petagine returning from injury in May, Perez was sent to Portland, where he hit .285 in 66 games for the Sea Dogs.
Bono was Boston's 8th round draft pick out of Central Florida in 2004. After being utilized as a starter in his first tour of pro duty for Lowell in 2004, he made the transition to reliever in 2005. The 6-3, 200lb, righty went 2-2 with a 4.09 ERA for the single-A Blue Rocks, fanning an impressive 56 in 48.2 innings of relief.
Although no official announcement has been made (as of late-Saturday night) to accomodate Cruz on the 25-man roster, the odd man out appears to be Rule 5 draftee Adam Stern.