Red Sox Ship Giant Lefty Eduardo Rivera to Cardinals After Roster Crunch

The Boston Red Sox just turned a 40-man roster headache into a classic offseason swap, shipping 23-year-old lefty Eduardo Rivera to the St. Louis Cardinals.

According to MLB Trade Rumors and SoxProspects reporter Andrew Parker, Boston is getting right-hander Juan Garcia back in the deal. This move comes immediately after the Red Sox designated Rivera for assignment to clear up a crowded roster situation.

"Chris Cotillo reported league interest in Rivera shortly after he was designated for assignment."

Rivera is a 6-foot-7, 237-pound mountain of a pitcher who looks like he should be setting screens in the NBA rather than throwing off a mound. He carved up the minors this year with a 2.44 ERA and 62 strikeouts in 48 innings, but his brief taste of the big leagues was a completely different story.

In 10 major league innings for Boston this season, Rivera posted a 6.30 ERA and a 1.400 WHIP. If you were holding a ticket on the under for runs allowed during his three starts, you probably spent those afternoons staring blankly at your television while the bases stayed crowded.

MassLive reporter Chris Cotillo noted there was immediate league interest when Boston DFA'd him, which makes total sense. You do not just let a giant, 23-year-old lefty with strikeout stuff walk away for nothing. St. Louis is basically buying a lottery ticket here, hoping their pitching staff can translate his minor-league dominance into actual big-league outs.

For Boston, it is a quick salvage job to get Garcia into the system before the winter market really heats up. For the Cardinals, Rivera is exactly the kind of high-variance arm that will either become a reliable rotation piece by next summer or quietly disappear back into Triple-A.