Boston acquired Smith in the Wade Miley trade.
When the Boston Red Sox signed David Price, there was another shoe that had to drop some time—with their rotation bolstered by Price, they were going to trade one of their existing starting pitchers. Well, now we know what that trade is:
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) December 7, 2015
Elias will move into a backup starter role, but Carson Smith may be the most impactful piece in this trade.
For a bit of historical context, first let's look at the pitch movement chart from another player: currently-rehabbing-Ray Jonny Venters, back when he was the counterpoint to Craig Kimbrel in the once-amazing Atlanta Braves bullpen.