Red Sox Acquire Right-Handed Pitcher Rubby De La Rosa and First Baseman/Outfielder Jerry Sands to Complete August 25 Trade with the Dodgers

BOSTON, MA—The Boston Red Sox today acquired right-handed pitcher Rubby De La Rosa and first baseman/outfielder Jerry Sands from the Los Angeles Dodgers, completing the August 25 trade that sent right-handed pitcher Josh Beckett, outfielder Carl Crawford, first baseman Adrian Gonzalez and infielder Nick Punto to the Dodgers in exchange for first baseman James Loney, infielder Ivan De Jesus Jr. and right-handed pitcher Allen Webster.  To make room on the 40-man roster, catcher Guillermo Quiroz was designated for a assignment.

The announcement was made by Executive Vice President/General Manager Ben Cherington.

De La Rosa, 23, tallied an 11-9 record with six saves, a 2.86 ERA (74 ER/233.0 IP), 237 strikeouts and just 187 hits allowed in 59 career minor league appearances (39 starts) over six seasons in the Dodgers system, and earned the organization’s Minor League Pitcher of the Year award in 2010.  Signed by Los Angeles as an international free agent in July 2007, the right-hander made his Major League debut with the club in 2011 and posted a 4-5 record with a 3.71 ERA (25 ER/60.2 IP) and 60 strikeouts over 13 games (10 starts).  After beginning the 2012 season on the disabled list recovering from Tommy John surgery underwent on August 9, 2011, he made one Major League appearance for Los Angeles in August and compiled a 1-0 record with a 2.08 ERA (3 ER/13.0 IP) and 12 strikeouts in six minor league outings, including five on rehab, between the Rookie-level Arizona League Dodgers, High-A Rancho Cucamonga and Double-A Chattanooga. 

The 25-year-old Sands spent most of 2012 with the Dodgers Triple-A Albuquerque affiliate and was named to the Pacific Coast League’s Postseason All-Star Team.  This season, he led all Triple-A batters with 107 RBI and finished third in the PCL with 26 home runs while also tallying 17 doubles, four triples, 84 runs scored and 59 walks in 119 games.  The right-handed batter hit .383 (51-for-133) with a minor league-leading 46 RBI over his last 34 regular season games with Albuquerque.  In five postseason contests for the Isotopes he hit .381 (8-for-21) with a double, a homer and seven RBI.  Sands also appeared in nine Major League games over two stints with the Dodgers this year and in 70 career Big League tilts, all with Los Angeles over the last two seasons, he has hit .244 (54-for-221) with 17 doubles, four homers, 27 RBI, 22 runs and 26 walks.  Selected by the Dodgers in the 25th round of the 2008 First-Year Player Draft, Sands is a career .289 hitter (502-for-1,737) with 86 doubles, 16 triples, 119 home runs, 379 RBI, 356 runs, 236 walks and 28 stolen bases in 469 minor league games in the Dodgers system.

Quiroz, 30, was acquired from the Seattle Mariners on September 4 and appeared in two games for the Red Sox this season, going 0-for-2 at the plate.  He began the season with Seattle’s Triple-A club in Tacoma, batting .278 (84-for-302) with 15 doubles, a triple, 15 home runs, 52 RBI, 45 runs scored and 36 walks in 89 games.  Originally signed by Toronto in 1998, the right-handed batter has played in 103 career Major League games with the Blue Jays (2004-05), Mariners (2006, 2009-10), Rangers (2007), Orioles (2008) and Red Sox (2012), going 53-for-257 (.206) with 11 doubles, two homers, 28 RBI, 19 runs scored and 17 walks.