Sox send Negron to Cincinnati for Alex Gonzalez

In a season that has seen five players start a game at shortstop, the Red Sox will add a familiar name to the list. According to Rob Bradford of WEEI, Boston has acquired Reds shortstop Alex Gonzalez, who had cleared waivers this morning, in exchange for Salem infielder Kris Negron (pictured). Gonzalez is hitting .210/.258/.296 with 12 doubles, 3 home runs and 26 RBI in 2009, but so far this month the slick-fielding Venezuelan is hitting .275/.333/.400 in 40 at-bats. He is in the third year of the three-year, $14 million contract he signed with Cincinnati following his lone season with Boston in 2006, when he hit .255/.299/.397 with 9 home runs and 50 RBI for the Red Sox. The Reds will pay the remainder of his salary this season, and his contract also has a $6 million club option for 2010 with a $500,000 buyout. In parts of 11 seasons with Florida, Boston, and Cincinnati, the 32-year-old Gonzalez has hit .246/.293/.393 with 109 home runs and 506 RBI in 1185 games. He is not expected to report to the Red Sox until tomorrow, so a corresponding roster move will be made at that time.

Negron, a speedy infielder who can play just about any position on the field, was hitting .264/.338/.347 with 17 doubles, 4 triples, 3 home runs and 34 RBI for Salem in 2009. He was also 20 for 23 in stolen base attempts and had scored 69 runs in 111 games played. Originally a seventh-round draft choice by the Red Sox in 2006, Negron owns a career .255/.338/.357 line with 60 doubles, 19 triples, 16 home runs and 130 RBI in parts of 4 seasons in the organization spanning 405 games. He had not been rated among the top 60 prospects in the Red Sox system by SoxProspects.com

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