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Colorado Rockies trade news: Outfielder Kevin Pillar acquired from the Boston Red Sox

By Noah Yingling |
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - AUGUST 29: Kevin Pillar #42 of the Boston Red Sox rounds the bases after hitting a home run against the Washington Nationalsduring the fourth inning at Fenway Park on August 29, 2020 in Boston, Massachusetts. All players are wearing #42 in honor of Jackie Robinson Day. The day honoring Jackie Robinson, traditionally held on April 15, was rescheduled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - AUGUST 29: Kevin Pillar #42 of the Boston Red Sox rounds the bases after hitting a home run against the Washington Nationalsduring the fourth inning at Fenway Park on August 29, 2020 in Boston, Massachusetts. All players are wearing #42 in honor of Jackie Robinson Day. The day honoring Jackie Robinson, traditionally held on April 15, was rescheduled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

According to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, the Colorado Rockies are set to acquire outfielder Kevin Pillar from the Boston Red Sox.

Mark Feinsand of MLB.com just reported on Twitter that the Colorado Rockies are set to acquire outfielder Kevin Pillar from the Boston Red Sox along with cash in exchange for a player to be named later and international slot money.

Pillar, 31, is hitting .274/.325/.470 with an OPS+ of 109 in 30 games with the Red Sox this season. However, he is below league average in most of the peripheral offensive stats including expected batting average, exit velocity, hard-hit percentage, expected slugging percentage, expected weighted on-base average, and barrel percentage.

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However, he is in the top 25 percent in both sprint speed and defensive outs above average, according to Statcast.

Pillar is best known as a defensive outfielder, which should play well in the Rockies vast outfield playing space. According to FanGraphs, Pillar has 2 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) thus far in 2020 and he has an Ultimate Zone Rating (UZR) of 2.5 (0.0 is league average), meaning that his range is above league average.

His defense has waned a bit in the last few seasons but when he played with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2015 and 2016, he had a combined 46 fDRS. For comparison, those two years are the best years for Nolan Arenado defensively, per FanGraphs, and he had 35 DRS in that span.

He has primarily played right field for the Red Sox in 2020 since Jackie Bradley, Jr. has been playing center field but with Pillar’s defensive skills, he will likely be the Rockies center fielder.

It will likely be a short-term move for the Rockies as Pillar is a free agent at the end of the season.

The Rockies’ other trade to get reliever Mychal Givens will be more of a long-term deal but the Rockies addressed their two biggest needs with those two moves.

Next. Key stats you should know from August. dark

We will update this article with further information as it comes in.

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