Red Sox Strike Again, Trade Lugo for Chris Duncan
Posted by Zach Sanders on Wednesday, July 22, 2009 at 6:58 pm
In their second deal of the day, the Boston Red Sox have traded shortstop Julio Lugo to the St. Louis Cardinals for outfielder Chris Duncan and a PTBNL.
Duncan gives the Sox another backup outfielder, and one with some left-handed power. For his career, Duncan has hit .270/.366/.485 against righties, while plugging away at a .206/.269/.346 line against lefties. He has also hit 49 of his 55 career homers against right handed pitchers.
This deal gives the Cardinals an infield option should Khalil Greene have more issues with his anxiety. Lugo has actually hit well this year, at a .284/.352/.367 line for the Red Sox. The issue this year has been his defense. His UZR/150 is a disgraceful -43.6. If he can provide some offensive production and improve his D, he can be a good backup infielder for the Cards.
Duncan will be reporting to Triple-A for the Red Sox, and it is unclear if Lugo will join the Cardinals at this time. At the very least, the Sox could get something out of Julio Lugo’s contract, as they will pay the remainder of it for the Cards.
