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July 31, 2012

Transaction Analysis

Deadline Madness UPDATED

by R.J. Anderson, Kevin Goldstein, Ben Lindbergh and Colin Wyers

BOSTON RED SOX Team Audit | Player Cards | Depth Chart

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Acquired LHP Craig Breslow from the Arizona Diamondbacks for RHP Matt Albers and OF-L Scott Podsednik. [7/31]
Acquired RHP Steven Wright from the Cleveland Indians for 1B-L Lars Anderson. [7/31]

As the deadline drew near, the Red Sox were reportedly seeking a left-handed reliever who would allow them to move Franklin Morales into the rotation, most likely to avoid an inevitable Aaron Cook explosion. They got their man in Breslow, a southpaw who’s been quite consistent over the past several seasons compared to his fungible peers. Since being signed by the Padres in an open tryout in 2005, Breslow has never been on the DL and has never had a seasonal ERA higher than 3.79. He also has no platoon split to speak of, which means he can be deployed with equal confidence against hitters of any handedness. Breslow relies on a fastball-cutter mix and tops out in the low-90s. While he lacks the velocity and bat-missing ability of fellow Sox southpaw Andrew Miller, he’s shown an ability to suppress balls in play and has improved his control in the last couple seasons. It’s not an approach that leads to fame or fortune—with the Diamondbacks, it led only to low-leverage innings—but it keeps him in major-league meal money.