BOSOX BOOST DEFENSIVE DEPTH WITH C LEON
The Boston Red Sox acquired catcher Sandy Leon from the Washington Nationals for cash.
What does it give the Boston Red Sox
The BoSox have two promising young backstops in {P Christian Vazquez} and {P Blake Swihart}, but neither is expected to start this season with the big club--Vazquez has a significant elbow injury and Swihart is back in the minors already. That left only {P Ryan Hanigan} to handle the catching duties, so the defense-first Leon is a solid short-term addition to provide depth behind Hanigan. Leon is also a switch-hitter, which gives the Red Sox more options.
What does it give the Washington Nationals
With {P Wilson Ramos} and {P Jose Lobaton} catching for them, the Nationals didn't need Leon anytime soon and he was out of minor league options. Those factors made him expendable, and at least the Nats get something for him in return here via trade.
Fantasy impact
Neither Hanigan nor Leon is much of a hitter, so neither will likely be fantasy-worthy in 2015 (even at hitter-friendly Fenway). Vazquez and Swihart are worth remembering for the keeper radar, but this development isn't great news fantasy-wise for either of them early in the 2015 campaign.
