Boston’s ‘new’ Victorino has some big shoes to fill

The Boston Red Sox liked what Shane Victorino brought to Fenway Park so much they went looking for version 2.0.

In one of those curious circuitous compliments in the bottom line business of baseball, that meant making way for the imagined new one Monday by trading the celebrated, prime-time-proven original.

So, shortly after taking batting practice prior to the game with the White Sox, the Red Sox dealt the Maui-born Victorino to the Angels and brought up Rusney Castillo from the minor leagues.

In the spring and again Monday Boston general manager Ben Cherington told reporters that a lot of what attracted him to Castillo was the well-rounded talents that originally sold them on Victorino. More than once Cherington has marveled at the “irony” of their situation.

Those are some big spikes for Castillo, a promising defector from Cuba — or anybody — to fill in Boston.

Victorino’s enduring legacy will be the remarkable string of clutch performances that helped deliver the 2013 World Series title to Fenway. He drove in 12 runs in 14 postseason games that year — including a grand slam in the ALCS and a three-run double in the World Series decider — becoming the only player to produce clinching runs in three series during the same postseason.

But that was 2013; this is 2015, the Red Sox are in the AL East cellar, Victorino is 34 coming off several ailments and there is the future to consider.

So Victorino was sent off to the AL West-leading Angels, who are in need of outfield help for the pennant run, in exchange for AAA infielder Josh Rutledge.

Castillo is considered the future in right field, so much so that Boston forked over $72.5 million to sign him to a seven-year contract last summer, and now they want to give him every chance to demonstrate it.

Just three years ago that the Red Sox were being questioned about spending $39 million on a three-year deal for Victorino, who had hit .255 between Philadelphia and the Dodgers.

But Victorino immediately paid dividends in Boston with a .294 batting average, 61 RBI and 15 homers. Beyond the numbers he brought relentless drive and enduring energy to the Red Sox.

“My opinion is that we wouldn’t have won the World Series without him in 2013,” Cherington told reporters on a conference call Monday.

Slowed by thumb, leg and back injuries and, most recently, a calf strain, Victorino appeared in just 63 games over the 2014 and ‘15 seasons.

“The (disabled list) time got in the way of him making the same kind of contribution the last two years, unfortunately,” Cherington told reporters. “But I think just what he did in 2013 makes us feel, anyway, like it was a worthwhile deal. We can dice up the contract and values and all that, but when I think about him, I think about a guy who is maybe one of the more passionate baseball players I’ve ever been around, who played with incredible grit and is a tough, smart player.”

Now, it remains to be seen if Castillo can approximate that.

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@staradvertiser.com or 529-4820.