In what might be the biggest name traded before Sunday’s deadline for setting postseason rosters, Braves center fielder Mark Kotsay is headed to Boston. The Red Sox have acquired Kotsay for a mid-level prospect, according to major-league sources. The player headed to Atlanta hasn’t been identified yet. To complete the deal, Kotsay waived his no-trade clause for the Red Sox, one of eight teams on his no-trade list according to his contract.
Kotsay was drawing interest from the Phillies, too, according to major-league sources.
Both teams are dealing with injuries to left-handed hitting outfielders. The Red Sox on Tuesday placed right fielder J.D. Drew on the disabled list. Drew, suffering from a back problem, had missed Boston’s previous six games.
The Red Sox’s attempt to acquire the Padres’ Brian Giles, another left-handed hitting outfielder, collapsed earlier this month when Giles invoked his no-trade clause to Boston.
Kotsay, who turns 33 on Dec. 2, has been hot in August, posting an .856 on-base/slugging percentage, his highest of any month this season.
Boston assumes the balance of his $8 million salary, which would amount to slightly more than $1.5 million.
The Braves did not plan to offer salary arbitration to Kotsay, who is a free agent at the end of the season.
Kotsay missed all of June due to a lower back strain, but since then has appeared in 40 of the Braves’ 48 games.
For the season, he is batting .289 with a .338 on-base percentage, six home runs and 37 RBIs in 344 plate appearances.
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