The Padres and Red Sox announced a trade that would send first baseman Eric Hosmer to the Red Sox along with prospects Corey Rozier and Max Ferguson, as well as cash considerations. In exchange, the Padres will receive pitching prospect Jay Groom. According to Alex Speier of the Boston Globe , the cash considerations are actually around $44 million, with the Padres paying the remainder of Hosmer’s contract, minus the league minimum.
Hosmer previously exercised his partial no-trade clause to veto a deal with the Nationals, temporarily throwing a wrench in the Juan Soto negotiations. The Padres/Nats Soto blockbuster was completed without Hosmer anyway, and now Hosmer is headed to Boston instead.
It’s a pretty stunning sequence of events, but the Red Sox will take advantage of San Diego’s willingness to pay the freight on Hosmer’s underwater contract and take a cheap look at a former All-Star to help solidify a position of need in the lineup. Boston has paired Franchi Cordero and Bobby Dahlbeck at first base for most of the season, often to disastrous results, and Hosmer needs to shore up some of the mistakes that have become common in Boston’s infield. The defensive numbers have never matched Hosmer’s four Gold Glove awards, but he still gives the Sox a more solid option than Cordero, who committed eight errors and was rated five strikeouts below average in just 316 innings (per Statcast) , while trying to learn first base on the fly in the Major Leagues.
Bringing Hosmer into the fold in many ways serves as a hindrance to top prospect Triston Casas, though the Sox could certainly have the two split time between first base and designated hitter. However, it is considered to reduce the hype of Rafael Devers eventually moving across the diamond from third base to first base, as Hosmer is now penciled in as the primary starting option for the next few seasons.
Hosmer, a former All-Star and 2015 World Series champion, is in the fifth season of an eight-year, $144 million contract signed with the Padres before the 2018 season. The deal was almost universally approved at the time of the signing and almost immediately fell into the territory of albatross. Hosmer hit a combined .259/.316/.412 over his first 1,344 plate appearances in San Diego—about six percent worse than league average over that span as measured by wRC+ (which, in particular, weights for league context as juiced- prom season 2019).
To Hosmer’s credit, his offense has improved a bit over the last three seasons. With league production declining after the 2019 homer boom, Hosmer has maintained a .273/.336/.411 batting line from 2020-22, which is about seven percent better than average.
That’s still not what the Friars had in mind when they pre-signed him to an eight-year deal worth $18 million annually, of course, and Hosmer’s tepid production has had the Friars exploring trades for him for more than a year now. In the past, the goal was to find someone to take over Hosmer and the bulk of his contract — possibly by tying him to a top prospect — but things have now gotten to the point where the Padres are simply willing to eat a significant chunk of the contract to make room on the roster for a more productive hitter in Josh Bell, who was acquired along with Soto.
To get rid of said albatross, they parted ways with Rozier and Ferguson, who Boston will acquire in exchange for Hosmer off the Padres’ hands. Rozier, 22, was selected in the 12th round in last year’s draft. The outfielder had a sparkling A-ball debut last year, hitting .390/.461/.585 along with 13 steals. This year, moving up to High-A, he is hitting .263/.381/.396 with 33 hits. Ferguson, 22, is an infielder drafted in the fifth round last year. He split time this year between A-ball and High-A, slashing .221/.365/.358.
Although the Padres have long wanted to get rid of Hosmer’s contract for financial reasons, it appears they have finally given up on those dreams as they effectively eat up his entire contract. The club has flirted with the luxury tax line all year, seemingly unwilling to cross it. However, the opportunity to land superstar players like Soto, Bell and Josh Hader seemed like too good an opportunity to pass up, with the club now certain to pay the luxury tax for a second straight season.
In lieu of financial relief, the Padres will receive a former first-round pick, as Groome was drafted 12th overall by the Red Sox in 2016. Baseball America considered him one of the sport’s top 100 prospects ever, as Groome landed at #43 in 2017 and #83 in 2018. Unfortunately, Tommy John surgery wiped out his 2018 season and limited him to just four innings in 2019. That was followed by the pandemic that wiped out seasons of the minor leagues in 2020, meaning Groome has barely managed to do it all in three straight seasons. He returned to the mound last year, posting a 4.81 ERA between High-A and Double-A. However, he showed improved results that year, throwing 92 2/3 innings between Double-A and Triple-A with a 3.59 ERA and a 24.2% strikeout rate, albeit a high 11.4% walk rate . He will add some hitting depth for the Padres, who just lost Mackenzie Gore in the Soto deal.
Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune first reported that Hosmer was headed to Boston. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic first noted that Hosmer’s no-trade list did not include the Red Sox. MassLive’s Chris Cotillo first reported that this would be a multi-player deal and that Rosier and Ferguson would be included ( Twitter links ). FanSided’s Robert Murray first had Groome involved. Alex Speier of the Boston Globe first reported that the Padres were sending about $44 million to the Red Sox.
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