CHICAGO – Acquiring Blake Swihart of the Boston Red Sox Friday afternoon, the Diamondbacks have added a receiver they do not plan to use behind the plate – at least not immediately, according to General Manager Mike Hazen.

To get Swihart, who had been appointed by the Red Sox earlier in the week, the Diamondbacks gave up their prospect Marcus Wilson. The Diamondbacks also received $ 500,000 worth of international bonuses.

Hazen said the driving force behind the deal was his belief that Swihart's offensive advantage was the feeling that this could be the only chance to reach him.

"We really love his bat and think that he has a chance to hit," Hazen said. "If he found himself at a place where he could play every day and do what we thought we could do with the bat, we would not have had the opportunity to acquire him. "

"With the Diamondbacks, Swihart is not an everyday player," said Hazen, adding that he saw himself jumping between positions other than the one where he had spent most of his career.

Hazen said Swihart can play in both corner positions, as well as in the first and third base. He also mentioned the second base as a possibility. Hazen said that, for the time being, the Diamondbacks felt they had the catch position covered, and suggested that Swihart not replace any of the current three sensors.

The front office of the Diamondbacks knows him well; Deputy Director Amiel Sawdaye was the Red Sox's supervisor when the club recruited Swihart in the first round in 2011, and Hazen, director Torey Lovullo and general manager Jared Porter, have also crossed in Boston.

Swihart never settled in Boston, although the best part of his career came from Lovullo, who was acting manager of the Red Sox in 2015. During this period, Swihart hit .315 / .377 / .486 out of 111. During his career, the striker has a line of .255 / .314 / .365 in 626 appearances.

Swihart also struggled behind the plate, and part of the reason the Red Sox left him was because they thought that a stronger defender could help their struggling pitching stick.

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Hazen said Swihart could "steal" mounds at the catcher's post at some point this season, but he declined to say where he sees him playing on the road.

"I'm not really ready to answer that question," he said. "It could be behind the plate. He could be in a different position. "

Wilson was ranked by MLB.com as the seventh best prospect of the organization. He has athleticism, plate discipline and offensive benefits. He struggled last year at High-A Visalia, although coaches and officials said Wilson's batting ball data suggested he hit better than his numbers indicated. He had a good start with Double-A Jackson this year, hitting .235 / .350 / .529 in 34 on the bat.

The bonus pool money relates to the current international spending period, which ends in July.

"We are going to use that money we have acquired to recruit players here shortly," said Hazen.

Visit Piecoro at (602) 444-8680 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @ nickpiecoro.

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