Red Sox Acquire Thornburg From Brewers For Three Players

THE DEAL

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md.–With Brad Ziegler and Koji Uehara hitting free agency, the Red Sox fortified their bullpen on Tuesday by acquiring righthander Tyler Thornburg from the Brewers.

The Red Sox gave up a starter and two well-regarded prospects in the deal, sending third baseman Travis Shaw, infielder Mauricio Dubon and righthander Josh Pennington to the Brewers. The Brewers also announced that they’ll receive cash or a player to be named later.

The deal was the first major trade completed at the Winter Meetings and kicked off Day Two of the annual event.

BREWERS ACQUIRE
Travis Shaw, 1b
Age: 26

Shaw, a ninth-round pick out of Kent State in 2011 and the son of former All-Star closer Jeff Shaw, broke through to the majors in 2015 and experienced immediate success into the first half of 2016. However, he fell off so badly in the second half that he was largely benched during the Red Sox’s stretch run to the AL East title. He hit .194/.259/.360 over the second half, and the impending return of Pablo Sandoval at third base and the rise of Yoan Moncada in the minors made Shaw’s playing time even more tenuous moving forward. He posted an .813 OPS in 2015 and a .788 OPS in the first half of 2016, so the Brewers have reason to hope Shaw’s second half slide was an outlier and he can return to productivity as a starting third baseman. He is the second major lefthanded-hitting contributor the Brewers have acquired this offseason, along with free agent signee Eric Thames.

2016 Club	AVG	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	OBP	SLG
Boston (MAJ)	.242	145	480	63	116	34	2	16	71	43	133	5	.306	.421

Mauricio Dubon, ss
Age: 22

Dubon was born and raised in Honduras but moved to the United States for his junior year of high school to pursue a baseball career. He signed as a 26th-round pick out of a Sacramento, Calif. high school in 2013 and performed well beyond what his has draft pedigree would suggest, hitting .306 over his minor league career and reaching Double-A last year. Dubon possesses a smooth stroke that drives the ball to all fields and he rarely strikes out (12.1 percent rate in his career). He doesn’t possess much home run power, but is capable of driving the ball into the gaps and using his plus speed to record upwards of 40 extra-base hits per year. He also combined his plus speed with sharp baserunning instincts to steal 30 bases in 37 tries in 2016. Dubon’s path to the majors was blocked with Dustin Pedroia and Xander Boegarts entrenched in the middle infield for the Red Sox, but as a plus contact hitter with plus speed and the defensive ability to play an above-average shortstop or second base, he could eventually slot into an everyday role atop the lineup with Milwaukee.

2016 Club	AVG	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	OBP	SLG
Salem (CAR)	.306	62	235	53	72	11	3	0	29	33	25	24	.387	.379
Portland (EL)	.339	62	251	48	85	20	6	6	40	11	36	6	.371	.538
Surprise (AFL)	.211	18	71	10	15	3	1	3	7	4	12	3	.273	.408

Josh Pennington, rhp
Age: 22

Pennington fell to the 29th round in the 2014 draft because he needed Tommy John surgery, but the Red Sox took him and guided him through the yearlong rehab process. The patience paid off when Pennington returned throwing 94-96 mph and touching 99 while dominating the low minors, posting a 2.29 ERA at Rookie ball and short-season the last two years. His innings have been limited post-surgery and his control is still coming back (40 walks in 78.2 career innings), but his power fastball, potentially above-average curveball and feel for a changeup provide a promising foundation to work with.

2016 Club	W	L	ERA	G	GS	SV	IP	H	HR	BB	SO	AVG
Lowell (SS)	5	3	2.86	13	13	0	56.2	39	2	27	49	.200

Yeison Coca, ss
Age: 18

Coca was signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2015 and was lauded for his all-around tool package, including skills that will allow him to stay in the middle of the diamond for the long-term. Scouts who have seen him this year in extended spring training note that Coca has a plus arm and is a plus runner, both ingredients to keep him at shortstop as he develops. His bat speed is decent and he gets OK leverage, which should translate to a bit of power as he grows into his frame, and his nine triples last season tied him for second in the DSL. He’s a lottery ticket right now, but more like a scratch-off than a potential jackpot in the making.

2016 Club	AVG	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	OBP	SLG
DSL Red Sox	.308	63	260	41	80	5	9	1	26	26	42	12	.372	.408

RED SOX ACQUIRE
Tyler Thornburg, rhp
Age: 28

The Brewers drafted Thornburg in the third round in 2010 out of Charleston Southern and he zoomed through the minors, reaching the majors on June 19, 2012, two years and one week after he was drafted. After starting intermittently early in his career, Thornburg settled into a full-time bullpen role and has quietly been one of the majors better relievers in recent years, posting a 2.87 ERA in his five-year career. He moved into a part-time closer role last year and converted 13 saves in 21 chances. Though he is occasionally wild (3.4 walks per nine in his career), Thornburg has increased his strikeout rate three straight years and has a long track record of getting the job done. He should slot into a late-inning role as the Red Sox setup man for Craig Kimbrel.