Report: A's Wanted Anderson Espinoza From Red Sox For Rich Hill
By Matt Dolloff, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- Surprise, surprise: Tony Massarotti is not a fan of the Red Sox trading Anderson Espinoza for Drew Pomeranz.
While the trade does appear to be an overpayment, moving a top-15 prospect in all of baseball for a 27-year-old who is having a career year but has already passed his career high in innings. But if new reports are any indication, San Diego's asking price for Pomeranz was simply the reality of what was necessary to acquire legit talent in a tough market for pitching.
ESPN's Buster Olney tweeted on Sunday night, just before the Red Sox took on the New York Yankees, that Anderson Espinoza was also the asking price from the Oakland Athletics for Rich Hill. The same Rich Hill whom the Red Sox had last season, is 36 years old, and becomes a free agent after the season.
Olney added that in their negotiations with Oakland, the Red Sox rejected Espinoza-for-Hill and then the A's countered with a different package that did not involve Espinoza. Contrast the impending free agent Hill with Pomeranz, who is nine years younger and under team control for two more seasons beyond 2016.
SEE ALSO: The Twitter Explosion After The Red Sox Traded Anderson Espinoza Was Quite Entertaining
So if you thought Espinoza for Pomeranz was bad ... just imagine if it was Espinoza for Hill.
You may argue that this year's Red Sox team isn't good enough to overpay for "that final piece" that would "put them over the top" in a pennant race, and you may be right - Pomeranz will undoubtedly upgrade the Red Sox rotation but they are still far from a safe bet to go deep in the playoffs. However, considering that Oakland had the same asking price for a much less valuable asset in Hill, how much did Dave Dombrowski really overpay, anyway? Also, for what it's worth, Red Sox pitching prospects tend to be overrated, if the past decade is any indication.
Once the July 31 trade deadline passes, it will become clearer how much Dombrowski did or didn't "overpay" in trading Espinoza for Pomeranz. But if Espinoza was also the asking price for Rich Hill, then it almost makes Pomeranz sound like a fair return. It all depends on whether you believe it was the right time to make the move.
Matt Dolloff is a writer for CBSBostonSports.com. His opinions do not necessarily reflect that of CBS or 98.5 The Sports Hub. Have a news tip or comment for Matt? Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff and email him at mdolloff@985thesportshub.com.
