August 31, 2014 at 3:28 PM
Red Sox acquire infielders Jemile Weeks and Ivan De Jesus
The Red Sox announced today that they have acquired infielders Jemile Weeks and Ivan De Jesus from Baltimore in exchange for infielders Kelly Johnson and Michael Almanzar (pictured right).
It was a familiar trade for both sides. Baltimore selected 23 year-old Almanzar in the Rule 5 draft last winter. He was ultimately returned to the Red Sox in June after spending the majority of his time with the Orioles on the disabled list. Since he was returned to the Red Sox he has played third base for the Portland Sea Dogs, hitting .277/.356/.422 with five home runs over 188 at-bats.
Kelly Johnson was acquired by the Red Sox in exchange for sending Stephen Drew to the Yankees in a deadline deal earlier this year. Johnson appeared in only 10 games for the Red Sox and ends his time with only four hits over 25 plate appearances with 10 strikeouts.
In return, the Red Sox acquired Ivan De Jesus for the second time in two years. De Jesus was previously a part of the blockbuster deal with the Dodgers that also netted the Red Sox current members of their starting rotation, Alan Webster and Rubby De La Rosa. De Jesus' time with the Red Sox in 2012 was short lived, as he was quickly sent to Pittsburgh as part of the deal that brought Brock Holt and Joel Hanrahan to the Red Sox. The Orioles signed De Jesus as a minor league free agent this winter, and he has hit .282/.358/.389 over 469 at-bats for their Triple-A affiliate.
Finally, the Red Sox also got Jemile Weeks, former 2008 first round pick by the A's and brother of Milwaukee's second basemen Rickie Weeks. 27 year-old Weeks did manage to make it to the A's big league team where he stole 38 bases and hit .258/.319/.357 over 859 at-bats between 2011 and 2013. He has spent most of the 2014 season at Triple-A, appearing in only three games for the Orioles, but is expected to join the Red Sox major league team.
While it will not go down as the biggest trade the Red Sox made this season, they were able to add to their organizational depth without sacrificing much in return.
Photo Credit: Michael Almanzar by Kelly O'Connor.
Will Woodward is a Staff Writer for SoxProspects.com. Follow him on Twitter @SPWill.