PHOENIX - The Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) have acquired RHP Jose Almonte and INF Luis Alejandro Basabe from the Boston Red Sox for RHP Brad Ziegler, as announced by D-backs Sr. Vice President & General Manager Dave Stewart.
Almonte, 20, is in his fourth season in the Red Sox farm system. The 6-foot-2, 205 pounder has 10 starts for Single-A Greenville this season, going 2-2 with a 3.91 ERA (23 ER in 53.0 IP), .249 opponents average, 13 walks and 45 strikeouts. He held righties to a .238 average (31-for-130) with 29 strikeouts while lefties hit .268 (19-for-71) with 16 strikeouts.
In 2015 at Short-Season A Lowell, his 3.43 ERA ranked sixth in the Red Sox organization, he ranked among New York-Penn League leaders in opponent average (2nd,.171), strikeouts (5th, 64), starts (T-2nd, 14), and WHIP (7th, 1.16), and his 8.77 strikeouts per 9.0 innings ratio was second-highest among league starters. He spent the 2014 season with the GCL Red Sox and ranked among team leaders in innings (2nd, 47.2) and strikeouts (3rd, 33). In 2013, he made his professional debut for the DSL Red Sox (12 starts). The native of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic signed as an international free agent on July 2, 2012.
Basabe, 19, is in his fourth professional season in the Red Sox Minor League system. The 5-foot-10, 170-pound switch-hitter has played in 64 games at Single-A Greenville this season, hitting .310 (71-for-229) with 16 doubles, 4 triples, 4 homers, 25 RBI, 37 walks and 14 stolen bases while playing second base and shortstop.
He spent 2015 with the Rookie-Level Gulf Coast Red Sox, posting a .387 OBP and reaching base in 23 of 27 games with an at-bat. He also spent 2 seasons (2013-14) with the Rookie-Level Dominican Summer League Red Sox. The native of El Vigia, Venezuela, has a twin brother, Luis Alexander, and they signed with the Red Sox as international free agents on August 26, 2012, their 16th birthday.
Ziegler, 36, played parts of 6 seasons for the D-backs (2011-16) and holds franchise records with 348 appearances, 2.49 ERA (min. 100 G), single-season relief ERA (1.85 in 2015) and 43 straight saves from May 29, 2015-June 20, 2016, the seventh longest streak in Major League history. In 348 games for the D-backs, he was 21-11 with 62 saves, 2.49 ERA (93 ER in 335.2 IP), .230 opponents average and 218 strikeouts.
Over 9 seasons with the A's (2008-11) and D-backs (2011-16), he has appeared in 571 games while going 32-24 with 81 saves, 112 holds, a 2.49 ERA (157 ER in 567.0 IP), .243 opponents average and 372 career strikeouts.