Here's more on the Red Sox's acquisition of outfielder Jeremy Hermida, who came to Boston from Florida Thursday in a trade for pitching prospects Hunter Jones and Jose Alvarez.

This from Justin Havens of ESPN's research team:

It was just a few years ago that Hermida was widely considered one of, if not the, top prospects in baseball. In 2005, he posted a .293 BA/.457 OBP/.518 SLG line in Double-A as a 21-year-old. He was considered to have a strong grasp of the strike zone with a smooth swing; however, there were whispers about whether he would develop adequate power to go with his on-base skills. In parts of five seasons with the Marlins, Hermida has failed to deliver on his promise, posting a cumulative line of .265/.344/.425, hitting just 57 HRs in 1,708 at-bats, for a ratio of 30 at-bats per HR.

Nevertheless, he will turn 26 in 2010, and while his window to become a star likely has closed, his window to be a productive major leaguer may not have.

Why would the Marlins trade Hermida for such a lackluster return?

Though Hermida was not particularly expensive in 2009 -- he made $2.25 million -- he also wasn't particularly cheap. For the Marlins, with an opening day payroll of just over $36 million (courtesy of Cot's Baseball Contracts), $2 million is not an insignificant figure. With Cameron Maybin and Chris Coghlan locked into starting roles for 2010, and Cody Ross having outperformed Hermida in 2009, there was little room for Hermida moving forward. He is arbitration eligible again in 2010 and likely would have cost the Marlins several million dollars.

Why would the Red Sox acquire him?

This is a prototypical buy-low deal for the Red Sox. He won't be an everyday starter -- which is good, considering his propensity to get hurt -- but it's not inconceivable to see him putting up a J.D. Drew-lite season, where he gives the team something like .270/.360/.450 in part-time duty. It also gives the Sox a degree of Jason Bay insurance; while Hermida is no Bay, he is a relatively affordable fourth outfielder who still has upside.

And there's this from a Sept. 23 column by ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick entitled "Promising careers at a crossroads":

"Five years ago, Hermida and Jeff Francoeur ranked 1 and 1(a) on the Atlanta-based list of hot outfield prospects.

"'Some scouts called Hermida the best high school hitter since Eric Chavez,' Baseball America wrote in 2004. 'Others saw [him as] a young Andy Van Slyke or Paul O'Neill. … Whatever comparison you prefer, there's no denying his polished hitting approach and advanced maturity.'

"Four years into Hermida's career, his top comparables on Baseball-Reference.com are Jody Gerut, Ryan Church, Wes Chamberlain, Armando Rios and Benny Agbayani. And scouts routinely refer to him as a 'low energy' player.

"The same sabermetric crowd that vilifies Francoeur gives Hermida a pass because he plays in anonymity in Florida and draws some walks. But Hermida has arguably been just as big a disappointment: Over the past two seasons he has a slugging percentage of .400 -- a tick below Brandon Moss, Mark Kotsay, Maicer Izturis and Omar Infante. The left-handed hitting Hermida is a career .237 hitter against lefties."

Here's Peter Gammons' take »

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