The Boston Red Sox on Friday acquired C/1B Victor Martinez and 1B Casey Kotchman while giving up right hander Justin Masterson and 1B Adam LaRoche.
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.
