August 6, 2012 at 10:31 AM
Red Sox acquire Valencia from Twins for outfielder Pineda
In a minor move yesterday, the Red Sox acquired third baseman Danny Valencia from the Minnesota Twins in exchange for Rookie-GCL Red Sox outfielder Jeremias Pineda.
Valencia, 27, was originally drafted by the Twins in the 19th round of the 2006 amateur draft. He made his major league debut in 2010 and hit a stellar .311/.351/.448 with seven home runs and 40 RBI in just 85 games. The impressive debut allowed Valencia to come in third in the 2010 AL Rookie of the Year voting behind Neftali Feliz and Austin Jackson. As the Twins full time third baseman last year, Valencia saw his production drop to a .246/.294/.383 line with 15 home runs and 72 RBI. This season, Valencia was supplanted at third base by Trevor Plouffe and has spent significant time at Triple-A Rochester, hitting .250/.289/.399 with seven home runs and 37 RBI. Valencia has been assigned to Triple-A Pawtucket and figures to serve as organizational infield depth. Valencia can remain under team control through the 2016 season and has one option year remaining following 2012.
Pineda, 21, was originally acquired by the Red Sox as an international free agent last season. In 2011, Pineda split time between the DSL Red Sox and the GCL Red Sox, hitting .188/.299/.277. This season, Pineda has turned a corner, hitting .421/.447/.534 with no home runs and 22 RBI.