Red Sox, Rockies Make Small Deal
Image credit: Boston Red Sox
The Red Sox and Rockies completed small deal Thursday that sent hard-throwing lefthanded reliever Yoan Aybar to Colorado in exchange for infield prospect Christian Koss.
The move bolsters a Rockies bullpen that finished with a 6.77 ERA last year, 29th in MLB, and opens a spot on Boston’s 40-man roster in advance of this year’s Rule 5 Draft.
Christian Koss, SS
Age: 22
Koss was Colorado’s 12th-round pick in 2019 out of UC Irvine and ranked No. 16 among the Pioneer League’s Top 20 prospects in his pro debut. He made a name in college for his solid defense and energetic play, and showed enough power in his pro debut to hit 11 home runs in 53 games with Grand Junction. After a season wiped out due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, Koss took part in the Rockies’ instructional league program. He altogether projects as a defense-first infielder whose offensive development will determine how high he climbs.
Yoan Aybar, LHP
Age: 23
The Red Sox signed Aybar in 2013 as a position player but converted him to the mound in 2018. He showed big-time arm strength and a fastball that lived in the upper 90s in the 2019 Arizona Fall League. A relief-only prospect, Aybar struck out 70 in 56.1 innings between both Class A levels in 2019 before heading to the AFL. His live arm comes with scattershot command, as shown by his career 5.8 walks per nine innings. He complements his fastball with a breaking ball which behaves like a hybrid cutter-slider and is thrown in the high 80s.
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