Britton With Rich Keefe: Joe Kelly, Allen Craig Two Solid Pieces For Red Sox
BOSTON (CBS) - Joe Kelly and Allen Craig are two "buy low" players from St. Louis that may end up paying huge dividends for the Red Sox.
The two former St. Louis Cardinals were acquired by Boston after the Red Sox agreed to ship John Lackey to St. Louis.
Tim Britton of the Providence Journal came on 98.5 The Sports Hub Thursday night following the madness that was MLB Trade Deadline Day to chat with Rich Keefe for a breakdown of all the moves.
As it stands, the John Lackey trade may prove to be the best one down the road.
"You see the return for Lackey and it probably was greater than what Lester and Price got on the market," said Britton. "With Allen Craig you have a classic 'buy-low' guy. He's having a terrible season this year. There's no way to sugar coat it. But from 2011-13, Craig hit .312 with 46 home runs, including 22 homers in 2012. He was an All-Star last year and he even got two hits off Koji Uehara in the World Series."
If Craig can return to the same form of season's past, the Red Sox got themselves a great player back in the deal.
"Craig is a professional hitter who's got a track record of success. It's up to the Red Sox to figure out what's going on with him this year and why he's not hitting the ball as well. If you put him in Fenway Park he's got the potential to be another really good corner outfield bat for you, and if Mike Napoli leaves you can always move him to first base down the line."
Like Craig, Joe Kelly is in the midst of a down year but has tremendous upside.
"Joe Kelly has an intriguing arm. He's further along than most of those young pitchers the Red Sox have who are just kind of breaking into the majors now. He had a sub-3.00 ERA last year for the Cardinals. He started Game 3 of the World Series. The peripherals tell you he might not be that kind of pitcher long term, but if he's your no. 4 or no. 5 starter next year he's a guy you can count on for innings and it's a good start for solidifying and rebuilding your rotation in the absence of Jon Lester and John Lackey."
Listen below for the full breakdown of every trade made by the Sox:
Tim Britton of the Providence Journal
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