The Boston Red Sox acquired outfielder Wily Mo Pena in exchange for pitcher Bronson Arroyo on Monday. The 24-year-old Pena hit a total of 19 homers and 51 RBIs along with a .254 average in 311 at-bats with Cincinnati last season. Bronson Arroyo, 29, spent the last two and a half seasons with the Red Sox before the trade. The right-hander went 14-10 with a 4.51 ERA last season along with 100 strike outs in 205 1/3 innings. Breaking Down The Deal The abundance of starting pitchers allowed Boston to deal Bronson Arroyo. The old saying, however, that you can never have enough starting pitching could remain true in this particular case. Arroyo possesses a good fastball, along with a good curveball and changeup. Although his velocity is marginal, Arroyo?s deceptiveness (high leg kick) allows him to pitch effectively. The move to Cincinnati will be high risk/high reward for Arroyo. He moves to, statistically speaking, more of a hitters park than Fenway. The switch from the American League to the National League often benefits a pitcher. If Arroyo maintains his command, he could post 10-15 wins for the Reds this season. The addition of Wily Mo Pena somewhat improves the Boston lineup. Pena, 24, will likely serve as a fourth outfield option. Pena has good bat speed along with exceptional power to all fields. The lack of patience at the plate has been the problem with the young outfielder. Pena?s high strikeout totals prevent him from becoming a premier power-hitting outfielder. Expect Wily Mo Pena, in a part-time role, to hit between 8-12 home runs in 2006 for the Boston Red Sox. If given an everyday spot in the batting order, Pena could belt up to 20 home runs this season. Both clubs involved in this deal acquire high risk players. The Red Sox improve their batting order/bench with the addition of Pena. While Cincinnati ups their weak pitching staff with Bronson Arroyo. Expect Arroyo to have more of an impact with Cincinnati than Pena with Boston. Edge: Cincinnati Reds Announcement: Forecast 06, the detailed predictions of the 2006 MLB season, will be published next week. Stay Tuned. Do you have a question, concern, or comment? ? Feel free to email me at [email protected]