The Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees made a rare cross-rivalry trade to take over the headlines Friday night.
It was not the first time Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom and Yankees general manager Brian Cashman have become trade partners and it likely won't be the last. Neither side is afraid of accidentally helping the other side if they believe the move will aid their own team.
The Red Sox traded veteran outfielder Greg Allen to the Yankees in exchange for right-handed pitcher Diego Hernández and cash considerations, the Yankees announced.
Allen hit .250 with 11 extra-base hits including a pair of home runs, 15 RBIs, and a .795 OPS in 37 games for Triple-A Worcester. The 30-year-old's most impressive stat was his 23 stolen bases in as many attempts.
Allen had an upward mobility clause in his contract, which meant that he had to either be called up to the Red Sox's roster or traded to a team that would put him in the big leagues.
With that in mind, the Red Sox's reported acquisition of outfielder Bradley Zimmer makes much more sense. Zimmer is another veteran with elite speed and defense. Bloom essentially made a lateral move in order to not call up Allen and was able to acquire a young lottery ticket in the process.
Hernández is an 18-year-old pitcher that joined the Yankees organization as an international free agent last January.
The Mexican hurler impressed in his first season of professional baseball, posting a 2.10 ERA with a 48-to-14 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .188 batting average against and 1.11 WHIP in 34 1/3 innings across five starts and seven relief appearances in the Dominican Summer League.
Time will tell if Hernández develops into a player of note but given his age and lack of experience, he won't be on Boston's radar for a long time -- even if he is a superstar in the making.
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