Red Sox Trade Marco Scutaro

The Red Sox today traded shortstop Marco Scutaro to the Rockies

The Red Sox have traded shortstop Marco Scutaro to the Colorado Rockies for minor league starter Clayton Mortensen, who was part of the package that the Cardinals traded to acquire Matt Holliday from the Athletics. The move was reported to be finalized by Jim Bowden of ESPN (Twitter link). Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe says that the Red Sox will now platoon Mike Aviles and Nick Punto at shortstop next year (via Twitter).

While this move may not make sense to you "fans" out there, I actually think this is a good deal that makes all the sense in the world. No seriously, I actually believe that.

Look at the facts. All reports on the Red Sox and starting pitching is that in order to sign a player such as Roy Oswalt or Edwin Jackson, they would have to move salary to avoid going over the Luxury Tax threshold. Trading Scutaro relieves the team of $6M in salary, and frees up space to sign a starter. They now have $6M to work with in negotiations. Not only that, but Mortensen could turn out to be a decent middle of the rotation starter. And right now, the Sox will need all the pitching depth they can get, especially when Beckett takes every other start off with a boo boo.

With this salary room, expect Cherington to lock up a starter in the coming weeks. If you ask me, it's gonna be Roy Oswalt. His asking price is low and the Sox have been talking to him and his agent a lot recently. So when the Sox sign him, you can tell everyone that I called it first.