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Red Sox Trade for 2 Rays Prospects

Report: Red Sox nearing trade to land Rays' top catcher prospect originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Chaim Bloom's busy offseason isn't over yet, as it appears he's doing business with his old ballclub.

The Red Sox and Rays have completed a trade that sends relief pitchers Jeffrey Springs and Chris Mazza to Tampa Bay and catching prospect Ronaldo Hernandez and another prospect to Boston.

The Boston Globe's Alex Speier was the first to report the impending trade Wednesday. MLB.com's Adam Berry was first with Nick Sogard's inclusion.

Mazza and Springs recently were cleared off the Red Sox' 40-man roster to make room for the team's new additions. Mazza started in six games for Boston last season and posted a 4.26 ERA over nine total appearances, while Springs struggled with a 7.08 ERA over 20.1 innings of relief.

Get to know the Red Sox' offseason additions

The Red Sox are getting the Rays' top catcher prospect in Hernandez, who ranks No. 14 in Tampa Bay's farm system, per MLB Pipeline. The 23-year-old Colombia native hit .265 with nine home runs and 60 RBIs in 103 games in 2019 at the High-A level.

Sogard, 23, played three years at Loyola Marymount from 2017 to 2019 and spent the fall of 2019 in the New York-Penn League after Tampa Bay drafted him in the 12th round.

The Red Sox could use some catching depth behind starter Christian Vazquez, as Kevin Plawecki and prospect Connor Wong are the two other backstops on the 40-man roster.

Bloom knows the Rays' pipeline well having worked in Tampa Bay from 2005 to 2019, so he apparently likes what he sees in Hernandez and Sogard as he continues to bolster the Red Sox' farm system.

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