The Red Sox were busy in the offseason, but their transformation really began in August, when they agreed to a franchise-altering blockbuster with the Dodgers.
In the wake of the deal — which sent Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford, Josh Beckett and Nick Punto to Los Angeles — the Red Sox are in a much better situation financially, and they have two solid, up-and-coming pitchers in Allen Webster and Rubby De La Rosa. Overall, the trade has been met with critical acclaim, even from those covering the teams in New York.
“We may look back on the mega-deal last Aug. 25 with the Dodgers as Boston’s Herschel Walker trade,” the New York Post’s Joel Sherman recently wrote.
The Herschel Walker trade, of course, was the largest player trade in NFL history, and it’s considered one of the most lopsided deals in sports history. The Minnesota Vikings received Herschel Walker from the Dallas Cowboys. In exchange for the All-Pro running back, the Vikings sent the Cowboys a plethora of draft picks, including their first-rounder for the following three years. The Cowboys parlayed their picks into Emmitt Smith, Darren Woodson and plenty of success.
We might not know for a few years if the Red Sox fleeced the Dodgers quite as much, but Boston is undoubtedly in a much more favorable position now than it was less than eight months ago. Sherman broke Boston’s offseason following the trade down into four parts, saying the Red Sox avoided a long-term deal, addressed its depth issue, addressed its character question and deepened its bullpen.
“The Red Sox could move from the Yankees’ main rival to, of all things, their mentors — at least when it comes to roster construction,” wrote Sherman, who thinks teams might begin following Boston’s blueprint.
Right now, it’s a matter of seeing if the blueprint works. The early signs seem to indicate that the Red Sox could be on to something, though.
Photo via Facebook/Los Angeles Dodgers
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