The Kansas City Royals have traded shortstop and former top prospect Adalberto Mondesi, along with a player to be named later, to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for left-handed relief pitcher Josh Taylor, MLB insider Mark Feinsand reports.
Mondesi, 27, is the son of 1995 Major League Baseball All-Star outfielder Raul Mondesi. Over his 13-year big league career, Raul posted a career slash line of .273/.331/.815, while playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees, Arizona Diamondbacks, Pittsburgh Pirates, Anaheim Angels and Atlanta Brave. Raul won two Gold Glove Awards and received the 1994 National League Rookie of the Year Award.
Adalberto was the no. 1 prospect in the Royals farm system in 2015 and 2016, according to MLB.com's top 100 prospect rankings.
Adalberto slashed just .140/.204/.344 in 15 games in 2022. Injuries have kept Mondesi off the diamond throughout his seven-year Major League career. The highest total of games he has played in a single season is 102, a mark he reached in 2019. The next highest total of games played is 75, the amount he played in 2018. He's only played 60 or more MLB games in a season twice in his career.
If Mondesi is healthy, he could get a nice opportunity to play in Boston, with Red Sox shortstop Trevor Story undergoing Tommy John surgery, which will keep him on the shelf for most of, if not all of, the 2023 season.
The Royals receive Josh Taylor in exchange for Mondesi and the player to be named later. Taylor made 61 appearances in 2022, posting a 3.40 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 138 ERA+ over 47.2 innings pitched.
Check out the latest episode of the Jack Vita Show for more MLB offseason analysis!
More must-reads: