Carpenter, 26, is a pitcher the Red Sox have scouted for a long time, and one they like. While he has had issues with throwing strikes, he has a plus arm, throws 95 m.p.h., and has a chance to make Boston’s bullpen, just as he had a chance to be in Chicago’s this season.
Once Epstein was allowed to leave with a year remaining on his contract, the Red Sox started this process back in October by asking for Matt Garza. Many names and scenarios were presented, and even now, the deal still isn’t done yet. The teams must exchange players to be named later, part of a new rule put in place by the Commissioner’s Office that each side must get a player in return to execute a deal like this.
So the Red Sox and Cubs have agreed to exchange players even below the level of Carpenter. They have exchanged lists of four or five names, and they will scout those players in spring training before making the deal complete.
There were a lot of players the Red Sox preferred over Carpenter, and all you have to do is peruse the Baseball America top 10 list to see who they are. They were interested in pitching, and Trey McNutt was one of their preferences, but they didn’t come close to getting him.
The Cubs were able to get Epstein without giving up a player essential to their long-term success. As we said, Carpenter is serviceable, and he may be a decent bullpen piece for Boston - especially with Bobby Jenks possibly not available until May or June, if that, after two back surgeries.
The Red Sox thought they had a verbal agreement that there would be “significant’’ compensation. But the sides never agreed on what “significant’’ was until the past couple of days.
The Commissioner’s Office reviewed briefs submitted by the teams, then threw it back to Epstein, Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer, and Red Sox GM Ben Cherington to work out the final name.
Obviously, the Commissioner’s Office didn’t feel the Red Sox were entitled to a top 10 prospect; Carpenter was ranked No. 13 on the Cubs list by Baseball America. But the Red Sox shouldn’t receive the equivalent of a bag of balls, either.
