Per Chris Cotillo of MassLive, the Boston Red Sox acquired first baseman Garrett Cooper from the Chicago Cubs on Saturday in exchange for cash considerations. The move comes roughly a week after the team lost Triston Casas for an extended period with a rib injury
Boston was reportedly interested in another , C.J. Cron, but likely turned to Cooper afterveteran he surprisingly became available earlier in the week. Cooper is expected to immediately join a Red Sox lineup that has been littered with injuries.
The Cubs initially signed Cooper to a minor league deal with an invitation to Spring Training. He earned a spot on the Opening Day roster and has hit pretty well this season. In 41 plate appearances, Cooper produced a 115 OPS+ with a .270/.341/.432 slash line while playing first base and left field.
Despite Cooper’s solid production, Chicago decided to give playing time to younger players like Michael Busch and Matt Mervis. The Cubs initially wanted Cooper as platoon insurance for Busch, but he eventually lost playing time after Busch’s hot start. Plus, Mervis has been raking in Triple-A. With Cooper not in their long-term plans, the Cubs decided to move on.
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