The Milwaukee Brewers announced Thursday they traded infielder Aaron Hill to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for prospects Wendell Rijo and Aaron Wilkerson.
Milwaukee also sent cash to the Red Sox as part of the deal.
The Arizona Diamondbacks just traded Hill to the Brewers in January. But he has an expiring contract, so Milwaukee decided to sell high on him. The 34-year-old has a solid slash line of .283/.359/.421 thus far in 2016.
Per Spotrac, Boston is picking up a contract in which Hill is making $12 million this season.
The Brewers did well to land two Red Sox prospects, considering the circumstances surrounding Hill and how fruitful Boston’s farm system has been. 2016 All-Star Game starters Xander Bogaerts, Mookie Betts and Jackie Bradley Jr. were all in-house Red Sox products who are thriving in the big leagues now.
Wilkerson is a pitcher who’s posted a 6-3 mark with a 2.14 ERA in 17 games with 16 starts at the Double- and Triple-A levels this season. Rijo, a second baseman, has struggled in the minors as a hitter (.201 average this year) but is only 20 years old and has plenty of room to grow.
As for Boston’s side of the trade, veteran MLB reporter Peter Gammons weighed in on what Hill’s arrival means for the club:
Hill figures to fill in as a starter on the hot corner in place of Travis Shaw at least for now.
Shaw thankfully had X-rays come back negative on his bruised left foot on Thursday, per ESPN.com’s Scott Lauber. With Shaw sidelined and Pablo Sandoval out for the season because of shoulder surgery, though, Boston needs insurance at third base, which is precisely what Hill provides.
After struggling with the Diamondbacks in the prior two seasons, Hill is showing marked improvement this season and could help Boston to the top of the American League East.
Minor league stats courtesy of MiLB.com.
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