Minor Notes: All eyes on the trade deadline with draft signings finalized

With the trade deadline approaching this evening, fans will wait and see if the Red Sox upgrade their roster or deal from their depth. They made a couple of moves around the edges of the team over the last week and finalized all their 2023 draft signings. There was also a big update on Noah Song, while the SoxProspects.com Donation Drive came to a successful close. 

Trade deadline

With the August 1 deadline closing in, the Red Sox have made a few moves to note. On the 25th, they acquired Nick Robertson and Justin Hagenman from the Dodgers in exchange for Kiké Hernandez and cash considerations. Robertson got optioned to Worcester as he is on the 40-man roster. Both Robertson and Hagenman are right-handed relievers who are now in the WooSox bullpen. Robertson was up with the Dodgers earlier this year and allowed seven runs over 10 1/3 innings. 

In another move, the team acquired Mauricio Llovera from San Francisco in exchange for Marques Johnson. Llovera is in Boston's bullpen and has made two appearances thus far. He did take the loss against his former team on Sunday in an extra-innings loss to the Giants. Johnson is an interesting lottery ticket for San Francisco as he has electric stuff, including a fastball that tops out at 98, but not much in the way of results. The 23-year-old had a 6.55 ERA with Salem before the trade. 

Chris and Ian talked in-depth about the trade deadline in the most recent episode of the Podcast. 

Draft signings finalized

Fourth-round compensation pick Justin Riemer signed for slightly above-slot, and the Red Sox signed Drew Ehrhard as an undrafted free agent to finalize their 2023 draft. The 24-year-old Ehrhard played at the University of Tampa for six seasons. In his final year, he hit .376/.467/.534 with 28 walks to 18 strikeouts in 221 at-bats. He added six home runs and six steals. All signings and bonus amounts are available on our Draft History page. 

Noah Song update

Noah Song, who the Phillies took in the Rule 5 draft last offseason, was designated for assignment by Philadelphia. There is a chance that another team can work out a trade with the Phillies, but his Rule 5 status would still apply. If he goes unclaimed, he will get offered back to the Red Sox for $50,000. 

Donation Drive

Today is the last day of the Donation Drive, and we are happy to say that we hit our goal for the year. Thank you to all the readers for your generosity and for spending your time with us on this website. 

Transactions

Gudiño outrighted; Schreiber activated

With John Schreiber activated from the 60-day injured list, Norwith Gudiño got outrighted off the 40-man roster. Gudiño has pitched to a 5.73 ERA over 55 innings with the WooSox. 

Alvarez and German signed to minors deals

Boston signed Eddy Alvarez and Franklin German to minor league contracts and assigned them both to Worcester. Both were also placed on the injured list shortly after signing. Alvarez is a 33-year-old utility player who has played in the big leagues for the Marlins and Dodgers. He spent the beginning of the season with Milwaukee's Triple-A affiliate, batting .283/.397/.473. For German, this is his second stint with the Red Sox after he was traded to the White Sox in January of 2023 for Theo Denlinger. 

Wilson, Jones, and Faria released

Marcus Wilson, Joe Jones, and Jake Faria got released. Wilson had been struggling in Worcester this season, batting .153 in 59 at-bats. Jones split his time between Greenville and Portland after signing as a minor league free agent in February. His ERA was below 4.00 for both teams, but he had a very high walk rate with the Sea Dogs. Faria appeared in one game for the big league squad but got roughed up for five runs in two innings.

Players of the Week

 

Jhostynxon Garcia, CF, Salem Red Sox

6 G, 19 AB, 9 H, 3 2B, 2 HR, 7 R, 5 RBI, 0 SB, 3 BB, 3 K, .474/.545/.947

While his brother Johanfran has been one of the system's breakout prospects, Jhostynxon's season started slow. He debuted with Salem on June 1 and finished his first month with a line of .192/.326/.219. His first week of July had similar results, and then he took a week off before returning on July 14. Since then, he has hit .327/.426/.654. He drastically reduced his strikeout rate and launched his first three home runs. Whatever took place on that week off has done wonders for Garcia, and the 20-year-old will look to carry the momentum forward into August. 

Jedixson Paez, RHP, Salem Red Sox

1 G, 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 6 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K

Salem sweeps this week's awards with Paez (pictured, above) throwing six near-perfect innings. Paez, the system's 42nd-ranked prospect, has had an up-and-down year in Low-A. After getting hit around in his second start, he got shut down for two weeks with shoulder stiffness. He returned and still struggled, with his ERA sitting at 5.94 on June 18. He has turned the corner over his last five starts, with a minuscule ERA of 0.72 over 25 innings. He has struck out 22 and walked only one. An ERA that low is unsustainable, but the 19-year-old is showing the promise that led to him being named the organization's 2021 Latin Program Pitcher of the Year. 

While he did not win the Player of the Week award for the system, Grant Gambrell was named Eastern League Pitcher of the Week for July 24-30. Gambrell struck out eight over seven shutout innings in a win for Portland. 

Photo Credit: Jedixson Paez by Kelly O'Connor

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