MIRABELLI BACK IN BEANTOWN
The Boston Red Sox acquired catcher Doug Mirabelli from the San Diego Padres for catcher Josh Bard, pitcher Cla Meredith and a player to be named later or cash considerations.
What does it give the Boston Red Sox
The Red Sox were caught between a rock and a hard place. Bard was struggling mightily as knuckleballer Tim Wakefield's personal catcher this season, so Mirabelli will return to his old role. It should help Wakefield and the Red Sox, though they did pay a steep price. However, Mirabelli is worth far more to Boston than San Diego, especially since the Padres acquired Mike Piazza to serve as the No. 1 catcher. While the pricetage for reacquiring Mirabelli is high, dealing him to the Padres originally landed them a starting second baseman (Mark Loretta). Simply put, this was a deal the Red Sox had to make.
What does it give the San Diego Padres
In Bard, the Padres acquire a catcher with more upside than Mirabelli. Meredith is a decent arm out of the bullpen that could help immediately, since the Padres have issues there. Plus, San Diego will also receive either another player or cash considerations. Therefore, this is an excellent move for the team, since Mirabelli was only a backup behind Piazza. Bard will now battle Rob Bowen for the backup job behind Piazza.
Fantasy impact
