The backstop joined the Sox as a 25-year-old when he was dealt from the Mariners, along with Derek Lowe, for closer Heathcliff Slocumb back in 1997. Since then, he's piloted the Sox to two World Series titles and has caught an MLB-record four no-hitters.
Needless to say, Tek was quite the steal.
But this hasn't been the only form of transaction robbery in club history. The Sox acquired potential future Hall of Famers Pedro Martinez and Curt Schilling, as well as current Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley, byway of lopsided trades.
Eck was swapped for Rick Wise, Ted Cox, Bo Diaz and Mike Paxton while Pedro was brought in from Montreal for Carl Pavano and Tony Armas Jr. While Pavano is on the brink of his 100th career victory and Armas Jr. grabbed 53 wins from 1999-2008, Martinez has potted 219 victories including 117 with the Sox from 1998-2004.
Schilling, the most recent steal, was brought in for the 2004 season in exchange for Casey Fossum, Brandon Lyon and Jorge de la Rosa. While these three prospects were promising at the time, the Nation quickly forgot about them after Schilling and his bloody sock helped break an 86-year-old curse in October of his first season with the club.
Which acquisition has been the best in team history?
