The Sox will pay the $750,000 signing bonus on the three-year, $11.25 million contract Arroyo signed this offseason and will send another $1.5 million in cash to the Reds. That figure represents the difference between Arroyo's 2006 salary ($2.75 million) and Pena's ($1.25 million).
Though the Sox indicated they'd also talked with Cincinnati about Austin Kearns (.240, 18 homers, 67 RBIs in '05), Reds general manager Wayne Krivsky said ''they were basically on Pena the whole time." Krivsky said the deal was done ''handshake by long distance" Sunday night and approved by the commissioner's office yesterday morning.
''It was a tough decision, in that there were pluses and minuses," said Sox GM Theo Epstein, ''but this was something we all felt we should do."
The pluses: The righthanded-hitting Pena brings what Epstein called ''silly power" (he has homered 45 times in only 647 at-bats over the past two seasons). Despite his bulkiness, he possesses an above-average arm and above-average speed, according to the scouting measures the Sox employ. He's only 24, comes cheap this year, and doesn't become a free agent until after the 2008 season. A .248 career hitter, he has hit .272 with 19 homers in only 257 career at-bats vs. lefthanded pitchers, suggesting he can provide considerable pop on days when he spells Trot Nixon. And he also gives the Sox a possible -- perhaps even likely -- successor to Nixon, who's entering the final year of a three-year contract.
''We think he makes sense now and for the future," said Epstein, who would not directly address how this move could affect Nixon. ''Our farm system is really starting to come around, but we don't have a lot of power. He just turned 24 last month, and he has as much power as anyone in the big leagues."
Another plus: Pena, despite his size, can play center field.
''In fact," Epstein said, ''there are some scouts who think he's better in center than in the corners. That's unusual for guys that size, but he's a physical freak, with some of the things he can do. He's not the type of athlete who comes around all the time."
