The Red Sox will be Mortensen's fourth organization, including St. Louis, Oakland, and Colorado. He's bounced between the rotation and the bullpen in the Majors, making 13 of his 24 appearances as a starter. He is a ground ball pitcher, who doesn't strikeout many, and has struggled with his control. He'll be depth for the Boston rotation, but won't make a real impact. He doesn't profile as a bullpen option either, due to his lack of power stuff or strikeout ability.
What Boston is really getting from this deal is salary relief. They haven't had much flexibility this offseason, but with the $6 million Scutaro was supposed to be earning off the books, they have more resources to address their biggest need, starting pitching. A short term deal for an established veteran, like what the Yankees recently found with Hiroki Kuroda, would fit their team well. Roy Oswalt would be the best fit, but I'm beginning to think that there's something in his medicals that are scaring teams away, because he's lowered his asking price to the point where he's undervaluing himself.
Since the Red Sox traded away Jed Lowrie earlier this offseason, they don't have a true replacement for Scutaro on their roster. Little Nicky Punto and Mike Aviles will be asked to hold down the position until top prospect Jose Iglesias is ready. Aviles can play a lot of positions, but isn't particularly great anywhere. Punto, on the other hand, does have a good defensive reputation, but I'm not sure he can handle shortstop at age 34. Neither gets on base much, having career on base percentages of .325 of below. Punto's .388 OBP from last season was more a result of hitting in front of the pitcher in the National League than a change in approach or skill. Iglesias has the glove to play the position right now, but his bat isn't ready. He spent the majority of 2011 in Pawtucket, but hit just .235/.285/.269. He could be called up to the Majors after the super two arbitration date passes if Punto and Aviles both struggle, but I wouldn't expect him until the second half at the earliest.
Colorado already has an established shortstop in Troy Tulowitzki, so Marco Scutaro will shift over to fill their second base opening. Although their offseason has been somewhat of an enigma so far, their plan seems to be coming into focus. They seem to have the market cornered on replacement level starting pitchers, and seem to be trading them to fill the other needs of the roster. They recently traded Kevin Slowey to the Indians for a Major League ready bullpen arm. Slowey was never a good fit for Colorado, and trading him before he got to throw a pitch in Colorado (or Colorado Springs for that matter) was their best course of action. Getting a starting second baseman who should put up between two and three WAR for a replacement level starter is a win for them, even including the salaries.
Trading their closer, Huston Street, early in the offseason seemed to be a sign that this team was rebuilding. Though most of their other moves point towards a team who's trying to win this season. The Street move now seems to have just been a salary dump, a move to give them more flexibility to improve their team in other areas. Relief pitchers are usually overvalued, and most big name closers are overpaid.
Through the moves that they've made, they've tried to accomplish something that has alluded them in recent years. Although they have a good group of core players, the edges of their roster has had a significant drop off, and they haven't have much depth. Through the grind of the 162 game schedule, they've broken down. Right now, their starting rotation goes eight deep, and they have viable options as backups for their position players, and seem to have a good bullpen.
By adding $6 million to their payroll, the Rockies could be done for the offseason. They don't have any more gaping holes to fill, and seem to have a pretty full roster. Boston, however, will still be active. They're still looking for a starting pitcher to help solidify their rotation, and could also be looking to acquire a shortstop via trade. Their infield defense was part of their downfall last September, and I wouldn't be surprised if they make a move to address the shortstop position.
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