BOSTON – On the final day of the MLB trading deadline, the Boston Red Sox acquired first baseman Eric Hosmer, minor league infielder Max Ferguson, minor league outfielder Corey Rosier, and cash considerations from the San Diego Padres, in exchange for minor league left-handed pitcher Jay Groome.
The trades follow Red Sox moves of Monday to acquire reserve OF Tommy Pham and other minor league prospects, along with the activation of veteran pitcher Rich Hill.
Hosmer, 32, has played in 1,644 games with the Kansas City Royals (2011-17) and Padres (2018-22), batting .277 (1,720-for-6,210) with 196 home runs, 875 RBI, and a .765 OPS. Selected by Kansas City in the first round (third overall) of the 2008 June Draft, the left-handed batter is a four-time Gold Glove Award recipient (2013-15, ’17) and was twice honored as the Les Milgram Royals Player of the Year (2013, 2016). His lone All-Star Game appearance came in 2016, when he was named MVP of the Midsummer Classic. Born in South Miami, Hosmer was the Royals’ nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award in 2014 and 2016. He should fit in nicely at 1B and be able to take advantage of Fenway Park’s configuration.
In 2022, Hosmer has hit .272 (91-for-335) with 16 doubles, eight home runs, 40 RBI, and a .727 OPS in 90 games. He was a key member of Kansas City’s 2015 World Series championship club, and in 2017 he helped Team USA win the World Baseball Classic title. No player in Royals history has more postseason RBI than Hosmer’s 29, as he set a single-postseason franchise record with 12 in 2014 and then broke his own mark with 17 during the club’s title-winning run in 2015. In 24 career games at Fenway Park, Hosmer has gone 35-for-99 (.354) with three home runs. He has recorded a higher batting average and OPS (.889) at Fenway than he has at any ballpark in which he has played at least 20 games.
Ferguson, 22, is ranked by Baseball America as the Padres’ No. 23 prospect. In 2022, the left-handed hitter has batted .221 (76-for-344) in 91 games between Low-A Lake Elsinore and High-A Fort Wayne, recording a .365 on-base percentage with 13 doubles, eight triples, six home runs, 50 RBI, 77 runs scored, 75 walks, and 55 stolen bases in 60 attempts. Selected by San Diego in the fifth round of the 2021 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Tennessee, Ferguson ranks third in Minor League Baseball in steals. This season, he has made 55 starts at shortstop, 25 at second base, seven in center field, and two at designated hitter.
Rosier, 22, has spent the entire 2022 season with Fort Wayne, batting .263 (81-for-308) in 85 games with a .381 on-base percentage, seven doubles, eight triples, six home runs, 54 walks, and 33 stolen bases in 37 attempts. Selected by the Seattle Mariners in the 12th round of the 2021 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, he has made 77 starts in left field and seven in center field this season. During his current 10-game hitting streak, which began July 17, Rosier has hit .447 (17-for-38) with 10 RBI and seven steals.
Groome, 23, is 4-5 with a 3.59 ERA (37 ER/92.2 IP) in 19 appearances (17 starts) between Double-A Portland and Triple-A Worcester this season. Ranked as one of Boston’s top prospects by both Baseball America (No. 13) and MLB.com (No. 11), the left-hander is 12-22 with a 4.46 ERA (127 ER/256.0 IP) in 60 career minor league appearances (58 starts) since being selected by Boston in the first round (12th overall) in the 2016 First-Year Player Draft.