The Boston Red Sox have acquired Enmanuel Valdez, Wilyer Abreu, and cash considerations or a PTBNL from the Houston Astros, in exchange for Christian Vazquez Monday as part of a three-trade day. Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom spoke with the media following the wild day.
“The players we got are players we are really excited about. Both these guys are fast risers in the Houston system. I don’t just mean in terms of the levels they’re at but in terms of the progression of their skills,” Bloom said Monday.
Valdez, 23, has the ability to play almost anywhere in the field, while hitting a ridiculous .357/.463/.649 with 11 homers, 45 RBI, and a 178 wRC+ in 38 games for Double-A before getting called up to Triple-A.
The 5-foot-9 left-handed bat hasn’t matched his wild Double-A numbers with Houston’s Triple-A squad, though he has hit a very strong .296.347/.560 in 38 games to go along with 10 big flies, 32 RBI, and a 118 wRC+.
“Valdez plays a lot of different positions but the bat is really the calling card,” Bloom said. “It’s come on very well and very quickly.”
Drafted out of Houston in 2016, 13 months ago Valdez was in High-A. The Dominican Republic native, an international signing, spent his first two years of pro ball in rookie ball, before breaking Low-A in 2018 and playing in Single-A and High-A in 2019. Valdez then played High-A in 2021 though broke into Double-A at the end of the season.
“When you go under the hood there are a lot of things that make him a very complete hitter,” Bloom said about Valdez. “He makes contact, he manages at-bats, he hits the ball, he covers all different pitch types, covers the strike zone really well, and has really come on this year making progress offensively.”
Abreu, a fellow 23-year-old who’s in Double-A, has also had a very strong season. The lefty-lefty outfielder has hit .249/.399/.459 and 15 homers in 89 appearances to go along with 54 RBI and a 125 wRC+. Abreu’s speed also comes into play, as the Venezualan has 23 stolen bases this season.
The 6-foot, 217-pounder also has a strong eye, as he as an impressive walk rate of 19 percent this season, which entails 78 walks in 89 games.
“Abreu is another hitter we like, who also plays all three outfield positions and has made himself an asset on defense,” said Bloom.
Bloom says that the move deepens Boston’s roster and farm, which went from the bottom of the league to the top five in a matter of three years under Bloom.
“Both guys being left-handed hitters add to our picture,” Bloom said, “and recognizing that they’re in the minor leagues now we think both these guys have a chance to really help us and over time make our roster more talented, deeper, more complete.”
“And some of what we’ve gone through this year and especially in this recent stretch has shown the value of having that. We have suffered at times this month, not being as deep, as complete and not having as flexible of a roster as we would’ve liked.”
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