Jeremy Hermida Traded to Red Sox

With the conclusion of the World Series, it appears Major League Baseball isn't wasting any time thrusting us directly into Hot Stove season. In the midst of Mark Teahen rumors, we have been served our first actual trade. The Boston Red Sox have acquired 25-year-old outfielder Jeremy Hermida from the Florida Marlins for pitchers Jose Alvarez and Hunter Jones.

Thus far in his career, Hermida has failed to live up to the lofty expectations that come for someone with his natural abilities. A former first-rounder once said to have five-tool potential, Hermida has hit .265 with a barely above average OPS through just over 3 1/2 seasons in the bigs. Of course, some circumstances should be considered.

Remember, Hermida will enter 2010 at the ripe, young age of 26. It's not like he never has a chance to live up to the first-round expectations. Secondly, he's been playing home games in the spacious Land Shark Stadium. Despite an outlier last season (where it somehow, inexplicably, became a hitter's park), the Marlins' home field is traditionally rough on power hitters. Hermida's splits show he has had trouble hitting at home, and we have a perfect sample upon which to judge.

Through his career, Hermida has played exactly 258 games at home and on the road. At home, he's hitting .253 with 23 home runs, 94 RBI and a .721 OPS. On the road he's hitting .276 with 34 home runs, 116 RBI and an .815 OPS. Clearly, the ballpark was doing a number on Hermida.

Another plus is he'll get to join a much more potent lineup in Boston, though it appears he may not have an immediate starting spot. Hermida is a corner outfielder, as are Jason Bay and J.D. Drew. Bay is a free agent and it's not a sure thing the Red Sox re-up with him. It should also be noted Hermida's name was in the mix in the Manny Ramirez trade rumors in the summer of '08 -- a move that eventually landed the Red Sox Bay. Thus, Theo Epstein and company may have had their eyes on Hermida for a while. Maybe they wouldn't mind replacing Bay with him, however, a source told FanHouse that the trade will not effect the Red Sox' effort to retain Bay.

Perhaps it's just insurance in case they can't sign Bay?

As for the players the Marlins received, Jones is a 25-year-old lefty who had a 4.25 ERA in 53 Triple-A innings this year. He appeared in 11 games for the Red Sox and was roughed up for a 9.24 ERA. Alvarez looks like the Marlins' prize in the deal. He only made his way to Single-A-Advanced this season, but put up a 2.26 ERA in 26 total outings. He is a 20-year-old left-hander.