Red Sox trade for Tyler Thornburg to be setup man
Infielder Travis Shaw, 2 minor leaguers dealt to Brewers
The Boston Red Sox got the man they wanted — a setup man, in fact.
The American League East champions locked down their eighth-inning spot Tuesday, acquiring right-hander Tyler Thornburg from the Milwaukee Brewers in a package that included infielder Travis Shaw.
Relief pitchers have been a main focus across the majors this off-season, and Thornburg was the centrepiece in the first trade at baseball's winter meetings.
"He is somebody we like a great deal," Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said. "Projects to be a quality eighth-inning individual for us."
The 28-year-old Thornburg will set up for closer Craig Kimbrel. Thornburg was 8-5 with 13 saves and a 2.15 earned-run average in 67 games for the Brewers, striking out 90 in 67 innings.
Thank you to the Milwaukee Brewers organization and fans for the past 7 years. Excited for the new opportunity in Boston! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/2017WorldSeries?src=hash">#2017WorldSeries</a>
—@TylerThornburgMilwaukee also got minor league infielder Mauricio Dubon, minor league right-hander Josh Pennington and a player to be named or $100 US.
The 26-year-old Shaw hit .242 with 16 home runs and 71 runs batted in last season. He mostly played third base, and also saw time at first.
"We are pleased to add three young and talented players to the organization," Brewers general manager David Stearns said in a statement.
The 22-year-old Dubon hit a combined .323 and scored 101 runs between the single-A and double-A levels. The 21-year-old Pennington was 5-3 with a 2.86 ERA in Class A.
Thornburg took over as the Brewers' closer for the last two months after Jeremy Jeffress was traded to Texas, and was equally effective against lefty and righty hitters. He held left-handers to a .130 batting average last season, and at one point retired 26 hitters in a row overall.
Not looking to make any more additions to our bullpen.- Red Sox GM Dave Dombrowski after acquiring reliever Tyler Thornburg
Thornburg features a firm fastball and a curve that improved when he tinkered with his mechanics. He made barely over the major league minimum salary last season and is now under Boston's control for three years.
After beginning his pro career as a starter, Thornburg became a reliever after having elbow trouble in 2014. He's been healthy since then and his arrival comes "at the absolute right time," Farrell said.
Thornburg will join right-handers Joe Kelly, Heath Hembree and Matt Barnes and lefty Robbie Ross Jr. in the Red Sox relief corps. When Kimbrel needs a day off, Thornburg can close.
"Not looking to make any more additions to our bullpen," Dombrowski said.
Red Sox relievers Koji Uehara, Junichi Tazawa and Brad Ziegler became free agents after the season.
Promising prospect
Dubon stole 30 bases and had 69 RBIs for High-A Salem and Double-A Portland. Drafted in 2013, he is a career .306 hitter in the minors.
Dubon is a promising prospect, but Boston already has all-star Xander Bogaerts at shortstop.
The Brewers went 73-89 this year. Earlier in the off-season, they signed free agent Eric Thames, who played two years in the majors and has spent the last three seasons in South Korea.