Reports: Kimbrel to Boston
Red Sox reportedly are sending four prospects to Padres.
The Boston Red Sox reportedly acquired fourtime NL All-Star closer Craig Kimbrel from the San Diego Padres on Friday night for several prospects.
The Padres reportedly received four prospects in return: outfielder Manuel Margot, shortstop Javier Guerra, middle infielder Carlos Asuaje and right-handed pitcher Logan Allen.
Kimbrel, 27, reached 30 saves for the fifth consecutive season, going 4-2 with 39 saves and a 2.58 ERA in 61 appearances. Since the start of his first full major league season in 2011 (when he was named NL Rookie of the Year), Kimbrel leads all MLB relievers in saves (224) and is second in ERA (1.70), strikeouts (523), strikeouts per nine innings (14.37), and save percentage (90.7).
Three accept qualifying offers: Astros outfielder Colby Rasmus, Orioles catcher Matt Wieters and Dodgers pitcher Brett Anderson became the first three players to accept qualifying offers from their teams rather than remain free agents.
The trio, who agreed to the $15.8 million, oneyear contracts Friday, were among 20 players given the offers Nov. 6. None of the 34 qualifying offers was accepted in the first three years of baseball’s current collective bargaining agreement.
Among those who turned down the offer this year were second baseman Daniel Murphy (Mets) and right-hander Ian Kennedy (Padres). When a player fails to accept a qualifying offer and signs a big league contract elsewhere before June’s amateur draft, his former team gets an additional high selection as compensation. The signing club loses a top pick.
Rasmus, 29, hit .238 with a career-high 25 homers and 61 RBIs in his first season with the Astros. He had seven homers over 27 at-bats in his last nine games, including four in six postseason games.
Wieters, 29, played in 75 games last season after elbow ligament replacement surgery in 2014. He batted .267 with eight homers and 25 RBIs.
Anderson, a 27-year-old left-hander, was 10-9 with a 3.69 ERA.
Blue Jays: Pitcher Marco Estrada agreed to a $26 million, two-year contract just before the deadline to accept qualifying offers. Estrada gets a $1 million signing bonus and salaries of $11 million next year and $14 million in 2017. The right-hander, 32, was 13-8 with a 3.13 ERA this season.