And the Offseason Trades Continue…
This time, it’s the Reds trading Josh Hamilton to the Rangers in exchange for Edinson Volquez and minor league reliever Danny Herrera. To me, this is one of those rare deals that was genuinely decent for both sides.
By trading Hamilton, the Reds helped make room in an crowded outfield that really needs to find a spot for Jay Bruce next season, while at the same time picking up two promising young pitchers. Herrera may only be a AA reliever, but he has good stuff and has a good shot at making the bigs. Volquez is also young (only 24) and looks like he will make at least a solid back of the rotation starter.
Meanwhile, the Rangers added another good bat in Hamilton, who hit .292/.368/.554 last season in 298 AB. While Volquez and Herrera are solid young pitchers, neither of them projects to be a star, and the Rangers’ very deep and talented farm system remains intact. So savor this while you can—it’s one of those rare posts on MLB trades that doesn’t have a Dumb GMs tag attached.