The Red Sox have acquired outfielder Marlon Byrd from the Cubs in exchange for relief pitcher Michael Bowden and a player to be named later, the teams announced Saturday night.
It's no secret the Red Sox have been seeking some outfield help in the aftermath of Jacoby Ellsbury's dislocated shoulder -- not to mention Carl Crawford's recovery from offseason wrist surgery and an elbow injury on top of that. Thus, Byrd, being in the last year of his contract on a rebuilding team, makes perfect sense.
Byrd, 34, is off to a horrifying start to the 2012 season, as he's hitting just .070/.149/.070. That's three singles in 43 at-bats with three walks. Last season, Byrd hit .276/.324/.395 with nine homers, 35 RBI and 51 runs in 119 games. He missed time following getting hit in the face with a pitch in Fenway Park -- which is obviously now his new home.
Byrd is making $6.5 million this season in the final year of his backloaded three-year, $15 million contract. Exact details aren't yet clear, but the Cubs appear to be picking up the majority of that salary.
Until Crawford and/or Ellsbury return, the Red Sox current outfield was Darnell McDonald, Cody Ross and Ryan Sweeney. Now Byrd joins the mix.
Bowden, 25, has a career 5.61 ERA and 1.58 WHIP in 39 games at the major-league level. In just two appearances this season, he has a 3.00 ERA and 1.00 WHIP with three strikeouts in three innings.
Former Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein now runs the Cubs, with his former second-in-command Ben Cherington being the current Red Sox GM.
For more baseball news, rumors and analysis, follow @EyeOnBaseball on Twitter, subscribe to the RSS feed and "like" us on Facebook.
It's no secret the Red Sox have been seeking some outfield help in the aftermath of Jacoby Ellsbury's dislocated shoulder -- not to mention Carl Crawford's recovery from offseason wrist surgery and an elbow injury on top of that. Thus, Byrd, being in the last year of his contract on a rebuilding team, makes perfect sense.
Byrd, 34, is off to a horrifying start to the 2012 season, as he's hitting just .070/.149/.070. That's three singles in 43 at-bats with three walks. Last season, Byrd hit .276/.324/.395 with nine homers, 35 RBI and 51 runs in 119 games. He missed time following getting hit in the face with a pitch in Fenway Park -- which is obviously now his new home.
Byrd is making $6.5 million this season in the final year of his backloaded three-year, $15 million contract. Exact details aren't yet clear, but the Cubs appear to be picking up the majority of that salary.
Until Crawford and/or Ellsbury return, the Red Sox current outfield was Darnell McDonald, Cody Ross and Ryan Sweeney. Now Byrd joins the mix.
Bowden, 25, has a career 5.61 ERA and 1.58 WHIP in 39 games at the major-league level. In just two appearances this season, he has a 3.00 ERA and 1.00 WHIP with three strikeouts in three innings.
Former Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein now runs the Cubs, with his former second-in-command Ben Cherington being the current Red Sox GM.
For more baseball news, rumors and analysis, follow @EyeOnBaseball on Twitter, subscribe to the RSS feed and "like" us on Facebook.