Sox send INF Chatham to Phils for PTBNL

January 18th, 2021

The Red Sox on Monday cleared a roster spot to make room for the imminent free-agent re-signing of lefty Martín Pérez when they traded infielder C.J. Chatham to the Phillies in exchange for a player to be named later or cash considerations.

By moving their second-round Draft pick from 2016 to the Phillies, the Red Sox now have one spot open on their 40-man roster that will go to Pérez, provided he passes his physical. On Saturday, the Sox and Pérez reached agreement on a one-year, $4.5 million deal that includes a $6 million option for 2022.

Though the 26-year-old Chatham was ranked No. 14 among Boston prospects per MLB Pipeline, he appeared to slip in the organizational depth chart.

Even though the Red Sox made a plethora of roster moves with infielders during the 2020 season, Chatham was never recalled from the alternate site.

In 266 Minor League games, Chatham is a .298 hitter with 14 homers and a .739 OPS. He made it to Triple-A Pawtucket in 2019, hitting .302 with a pair of homers in 20 games.

Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski has familiarity with Chatham from his years running Boston’s front office.

With roster spots tight for the Red Sox and more offseason moves almost certain to come, it bears watching if some sort of retirement settlement will be reached with Dustin Pedroia. The former superstar didn’t play at all in 2020 due to his problematic left knee, and he has appeared in just nine games since the end of the ’17 season.

While Pedroia has spent most of the past three seasons on the 60-day injured list, a player can't occupy a spot on the IL during the offseason.

Here is Boston’s 40-man roster:

PITCHERS (22): Matt Andriese, Matt Barnes, Eduard Bazardo, Ryan Brasier, Colten Brewer, Austin Brice, Nathan Eovaldi, Jay Groome, Darwinzon Hernandez, Tanner Houck, Bryan Mata, Chris Mazza, Joel Payamps, Nick Pivetta, Eduardo Rodriguez, Chris Sale, Connor Seabold, Jeffrey Springs, Josh Taylor, Phillips Valdez, Marcus Walden, Garrett Whitlock

CATCHERS (3): Kevin Plawecki, Christian Vázquez, Connor Wong

INFIELDERS (8): Jonathan Araúz, Christian Arroyo, Xander Bogaerts, Michael Chavis, Bobby Dalbec, Rafael Devers, Dustin Pedroia, Hudson Potts

OUTFIELDERS (6): Andrew Benintendi, J.D. Martinez, Hunter Renfroe, Jeisson Rosario, Alex Verdugo, Marcus Wilson