The Kansas City Royals and Boston Red Sox have completed a swap, with oft-injured infielder Adalberto Mondesi sent to Boston in exchange for left-handed reliever Josh Taylor.
Both players are coming off of season-ending injuries in 2022, with Mondesi in recovery from a torn ACL in his left knee, while Taylor had a back injury.
While healthy, Mondesi is considered one of baseball’s greatest talents, showing the combination of power and speed, with a combined 75 stolen bases in 2018 and 2019. However, the injury bug kept his numbers with the Royals mediocre, with a .244 average, 38 homers and 133 steals. In Boston, he could find playing time for a team that lost shortstop Xander Bogaerts to free agency and second baseman Trevor Story to a UCL injury this offseason.
Taylor, in his last season for Boston in 2021, struck out 60 batters in 47 2/3 innings, allowing only two homers. He joins former Yankee closer Alordis Chapman in an evolving Royals bullpen that has doubled its southpaws over the past week, with Amir Garrett and Angel Zerpa already on the 40 man roster.
