Martinez gives them a first baseman and catcher. With Mike Lowell's sore hip, Kevin Youkilis has been playing third base. Now, Martinez can play first. He can also play some at cather where backup Kattaras is batting .224 with one homerun in 85 at bats. This is a major upgrade in both spots. Meanwhile, LaRoche backing up first and pinch hitting is lost. But instead of power, they traded for average with Kotchman. Also, with Ortiz struggling, Kotchman can dh or Martinez can. There is now a lot of flexibility on this team.
They had to give up Masterson to make this happen. Masterson had appeared in 31 games and 6 as a starter. With a 1.35 WHIP and 4.50 ERA, Masterson is a valuable pitcher on any staff. Boston has 4 very strong starting pitchers with Lester, Beckett, Penny and Wakefield. The 5th spot is currently John Smoltz and Dice K has been a bust this year. However, once youv'e made the playoffs, #5 doesn't matter. This is all about winning the world series.
Bravo Boston!!!
Keywords: baseball, boston red sox, cleveland indians, martinez, mlb, trade
