Just when things couldn’t have gotten any uglier inside the Red Sox clubhouse, a breath of fresh air arrives.
And Red Sox nation have Magic Johnson and the rest of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ new ownership group to thank.
The Red Sox and Dodgers have completed an absolute blockbuster of a deal that sends Josh Beckett, Carl Crawford, Adrian Gonzalez and Nick Punto to Los Angeles for first baseman James Loney — whose contract expires after this season — and four minor leaguers.
And while two of the prospects coming to the Red Sox may provide future pitching help, surely the most important part of the deal to the folks at Yawkey Way is the salary dump. The Red Sox are due to save more than a quarter-billion dollars in payroll from the trade — money they conceivably can use to rebuild a franchise needing a character overhaul.
Anyone who a few days ago could have imagined the Red Sox being able to rid themselves the contracts of Gonzalez, Crawford and particularly the increasingly despised Beckett would have been either dreaming or under the influence of hallucinogens, but when the newly cash-rich Dodgers placed a waiver claim on both Gonzalez and Beckett on Thursday the possibility grew.
For while the Red Sox are seeking to rehabilitate an image tarnished by last year’s chicken-and-beer induced September collapse and reinforced most recently by that sparse player turnout for Johnny Pesky’s funeral earlier this week, the Dodgers are in the middle of a pennant race in the NL West — beginning Saturday’s play three games behind the rival San Francisco Giants.
This move goes a long way toward changing those dynamics for both teams.
The Dodgers are restocked for the final five weeks of the season and have what they believe will be two cornerstones for their future in Gonzalez and Crawford — players who like Edgar Renteria and Julio Lugo before them never seemed fully comfortable in the high-intensity Boston baseball atmosphere.
The Red Sox suddenly can tell their fans that indeed they are addressing the negative karma that has spread not only throughout their clubhouse but throughout their fan base. They can show proof they are changing the culture that has sent fans flocking to the Patriots for a sense of hope.
Surely they are not done — does anybody want John Lackey?
But now there is cash to resign David Ortiz for another year and pursue free agents, and there’s also space on the roster for the next generation of homegrown talent — including former Aruba Senior League World Series standout Xander Boegarts, who’s batting .339 with five home runs in 14 games for the Portland Sea Dogs, and promising Sea Dogs outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr. — to provide additional fresh faces in the next year or two on a team in desperate need of a new coat of personality paint.
Are the Red Sox a better team today than they were yesterday? Possibly not right at the moment although by recent franchise standards there is nowhere to go but up.
But what this trade does accomplish is increase the chances that they will be better — and more fan-friendly — in the years to come.
Trading Gonzalez is the most idiotic thing ever. Do you actually think that Ortiz will want to stay, or that Ellsbury will want to sign a new deal. The
Ellsbury will go where the money is….he has Boras as an agent. I suspect Seattle will want him.
He’s at best a part time player…..he spends as much time on the injured list as he does on the active….. good riddence!
Trading Gonzalez is the most idiotic thing ever. Do you really think that Ortiz will want to stay after this season, or that Ellsbury will want to sign a new deal, or that any free agent will want to come to Boston. We are back in the dark days again folks, thank God I lived long enough to see them win two World Series because I’ll be long dead before they win another!
Ortiz needs to go too..
Ortiz will stay. He wants a multi-year and no team in the American League will do that. (The National League sans DH is not feasible for him)His asking price is too much for small markets and the big markets already have their slugger(s) He’ll be back with the Sox. Now…if only they could rid themselves of those 2 other over-paid, oft injured pitchers.
Hopefully old man ortiz will not want to stay. Ellsbury is an intelligent person, he can make up his own mind. Free agents will flock to the RS now that the team has conducted surgery and removed cancerous cells. The light shines now that they are gone. You do not look forward in life do you? Fans being cheated that pay part of those salaries and those guys dogging it, now that is real professional. Hopefully you will not be dead, but stay around to see how terribly wrong you are. But then your minute knowledge of the RS and of professionalism is showing and understandable.
Gonzo was a decent player and had not been a liability IMO… But he was not quite worth what he was getting paid. The Sox had too many guys who were that way. So something had to give? And in order to get rid of “bad contracts”, you have to send something good along in the deal. Really, they might have to move “Fenway Racing” to get rid of John Lackey?
Is anyone worth that kind of money???????
IMO, professional sports, as a whole, has suffered from the era of free agentcy and sports marketing. With all this money floating around, many of our modern day stars eventually lose their “love for the game” and begin to think selfishly, that because they make so much money, that they are too important and they no longer have to tow the line. And unfortunately, the franchises have catered to guys like that. And you can’t just fire the players when things go bad because of attitude problems! You still have to pay their contract! And when these rich premadonnas are left to call the shots, you end up with what has happened here in Boston.
It’s all about the money now! There’s no loyalty anymore to the fans or to the ballclub.
When players start to whine about money, and start saying things like “it’s all a buisiness”, or “I need to look out for my family’s security”, then I think it just might be time to ship them out?
Hope the Sox realize this now?
now they need to get a new coach. they should have never let tito go.
Tito, the guy who instigated this whole fiasco last year when Valentine was not even around? That Tito? A new coach? You mean someone who allows the gonzales, becketts, crawfords to walk on them, to cheat fans who pay good money to simply want an honest days work? I have been to the top of Maine, and trust me, as a born and bred Mainer, you are certainly not anything but a flatlander moved to Maine from another planet.
ahh not. I am actually from the valley. I guess I did not see all that you mentioned. all I saw was them winning more games than this year.
I suspect that the Dodgers demanded Gonzo as a condition for taking Beckett off their hands. While he’s good, he’s not a $21.5 million a year player. His best years may be behind him.
Overall, the trade makes sense. I was never convinced aquiring Crawford was a good idea in the first place. The only thing that would have pleased me more was to see Dice-K on the next plane to L.A., too.
Well said Mike….
My opinion is that spending huge sums of money on free agents is the wrong way to build a ball club.
The sox free agent signings have been terrible in recent years….
Maybe they will get smart and concentrate on growing their own stars?…right down on the farm?
Bring back the old days!….Remember when the Sox brought up Jim Rice and Freddy Lynn?
That was something to get excited about!
Like Gonzo. Glad to see Beckett,Crawford and Punto go.Smart move to pass those salaries on to L.A.
Not a Dice K hater but his days and big contract are numbered.Just wish they never signed that pant load Lackey. Stuck with that slob for a long time.
This is the worst trade ever. It will be another 86 years with this stupid GM.
Not to worry….you’ll only be 96 when you get to celebrate again. Hang in there.
Get rid of the Manager!!!!! Please put us out of our misery….LOL
It isn’t Bobby Valentine’s fault that the players are the problem. They are the reason that Terry Francona got fired last year. It is about time they started cleaning house. Beckett has been a waste for nearly 3 years now he was a problem in the clubhouse, he was out of shape not putting in the work on off days. Carl Crawford was a bust even their was rumors of these injuries he had going back to Tampa Bay but he kept putting off surgery. Getting rid of Gonzalez is a good idea never thought he was that much of a fit always thought he was better off in Southern California being that he is from San Diego. It’s time they do what the Oakland A’s and Tampa Bay do and that is compete succesfully with a mid-level payroll.
Why exactly? You already are out of your misery, living in lala land.
Bring back the Popeye’s and beer! Bring up the locker room moral! LOL
You guys got played by Magic once again. Welcome to the party, and when Beckett clinches the National League title game and puts them in the World Series then Boston fans are going to throw up
Beckett is a headcase once the Dodgers start struggling. I see him causing the same problems in LA. If you can’t play for great managers like Jack Mckeon (Marlins), Tito Francona and Bobby Valentine shows how much of a problem this guy is. He was a problem even going back to his days on the Portland Sea Dogs. Let him be the Dodgers headache along with Crawford and Gonzalez they were all part of the issues going back to last year. I expect to see Dice-K, Oritz, Lackey, and Ellsbury gone after this year and possibly Lester as well. It’s time to get rid of the old guard the 2002-2011 era teams. Start playing the young kids it will make for more entertaining baseball at Fenway.
I am here to help you. It is without a doubt that you have lost your mind. Which mental hospital are you in, I will go and help you?
you should change your name to “Yankee Conspiracy Guy”
i’ll take some of what your offering on that “Becket clinches the NL tiltle game” claim, though.
have you seen him pitch over the last 18 months? five innings is going deep into the game for him.
seriously, the Dodgers are not even in, if the playoffs started today. they just added a fat out of shape demotivated overpaid pitcher with either a tired arm or some nagging injury(s)
Maybe some of those guys will become World Series MVPs like Edgar Renteria. These are dark days indeed.
As a Yankees fan I have been laughing at this whole charade for two days now! Beckett’s best days are long gone. Red Sox owners always have been know as cheapskates of the game Trade the best play the rest is the Yawkey Way chant
Could I get you to re-write that whole comment, your grammar is such that I do not understand. Your spelling could use some help too. Now don’t get angry, I know you are a yankee fan so I do understand why you are an evil person.
I will get to that Rem Dawg School Of Excuses to seek enrollment! As a Red Sucks Fan I am sure you are familiar with that!
I would like to offer a prayer: God, thank you for making this deal happen. Please keep the players like Gonzales from further causing harm to his fellow brethren by undermining and attempting to cause further harm to other humans. We ask that you try and make Beckett a better human and stop cheating those fans who pay part of his annual salary, by stopping his angry and childish venture against his fellow men, from lying about his inability to do his work and thereby cheating his fellow workers. Also, please forgive Crawford for not allowing himself the respect he should have received when accepting an enormous amount of money and not even talking to his supervisor, money from hardworking fans. For Punto, he is innocent God, he did not know any better, having been led down a path of destruction by those three teammates. Let those people know you still love them, for they are unloved by many because of their evil philosophies they have perpetrated. Amen.
lol
I feel this was a necessary move. I am relieved that there is a coach and upper management that has the nads too confront detrimental players and make changes in the clubhouse. They may not win a lot of the remaining games, but there will be a much better clubhouse atmosphere after this trade, keep an eye on the sox.
I would like to see every fan stay home next year, turn off every broadcast of sports, I think it might bring sanity back once again. Now, do not get the wrong idea, I like sports, but it has become insane.
I would like to see the sports media in Boston lose their “reality show” mentality….
They are as much a part of the problem as the players themselves were IMO!
Especially, those negative nellies that hang out on Comcast Sports Network…
I’d like to see them ship Felger and Mazz away for a bag of beans and a “real reporter” to be named later!