By Josh Maurer & Will Flemming

“It feels good to be wanted.”

Those were some fo the first words spoken by Lars Anderson outside the PawSox clubhouse in Rochester Tuesday afternoon when asked about being traded to Cleveland.

The 24-year-old first baseman/outfielder went on to say he had “an awesome six years in the Red Sox organization” but is excited for the opportunity in front of him with the Indians.

“I’m going into this without any expectations,” Anderson continued. “I’m not going to try to figure out what’s going to happen, I’m just excited about having the opportunity to hopefully play in the Big Leagues.”

Anderson has played in Boston in each of the last three seasons. In 30 Major League games, he has hit .167 with four runs batted in. (Kelly O’Connor)

Anderson was dealt to Cleveland late in the afternoon in exchange for minor league right-hander, Steven Wright. A knuckleballer, Wright is a former college teammate of PawSox utility-man Jon Hee at the University of Hawaii and has been assigned to Double-A Portland.

Anderson, meanwhile, will report to Triple-A Columbus and play for the defending back-to-back Triple-A champion Clippers.

“I’ve always loved Columbus,” Anderson said. “It’s probably my favorite ballpark in the league both in how it plays and how it looks.”

Out on the field when PawSox manager Arnie Beyeler gave him the news, Anderson said he was “totally surprised” and had no idea Cleveland was interested in him.

Over six years in the Red Sox system, Anderson was a career .274 minor league hitter and was Boston’s Minor League Offensive Player of the Year in 2008 when he hit .317 with 18 home runs and 80 runs batted in. The following year, Baseball America named him the Red Sox №1 overall prospect. This year with Pawtucket, the Oakland native hit .259 with nine homers and 52 RBI.

Anderson was nearly dealt to his hometown team last season on this exact day when traded for Rich Harden, but after Harden failed a physical, the deal was canceled.

Wright comes to the Red Sox system after spending all of this season with Double-A Akron where he has gone 9–6 with a 2.49 ERA over 20 relief appearances. A former second-round selection by the Indians, Wright has spent parts of 2009–11 in Triple-A.

All the best to Lars and his future success in Cleveland. He’s a talented player, a deep thinker, and, like any number minor leaguers, was in a log-jam at his position and needed a change of scenery.

-AG

@aaronmgoldsmith

agoldsmith@pawsox.com