The Red Sox effectively pressed the reset button and turned their entire situation around last August when they completed their big trade with the Dodgers. It wasn’t the only deal that Boston considered, though.
The Red Sox discovered that there was interest in Josh Beckett last season, and they explored at some length a number of different trade combinations with the Rangers, according to WEEI.com’s Alex Speier. Among the potential trades discussed was one in which the Red Sox would have dealt Beckett and Jacoby Ellsbury to the Rangers while receiving left-hander Derek Holland in return.
The negotiations with the Rangers apparently didn’t gain much traction, as Beckett told WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford that things never got to a point where the Red Sox started discussing the possibility of the right-hander waiving his no-trade rights. It’s still interesting, though, especially considering how everything played out.
Beckett was eventually traded to the Dodgers along with Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford and Nick Punto, and Ellsbury continues to produce at the top of the Red Sox’ order. Ellsbury’s future beyond this year is unclear, but he’s been absolutely dynamic this season.
Holland, who is still pitching for Texas, is also having an excellent season. He is 9-6 with a 2.95 ERA in 26 starts and was considered by many to be one of this year’s biggest All-Star snubs.
Everything worked out for the Red Sox and Dodgers, who enter their weekend series atop their respective divisions. It took a lot of work for last August’s megadeal to materialize, though, and it apparently wasn’t before some other options were considered.
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