This past Friday, the Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers
put together an improbable trade that will surely alter the immediate future of
both franchises. With Boston sending Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett, Carl
Crawford, and Nick Punto to Los Angeles, the Red Sox have eliminated about $250
million in salary through 2018 (the year Gonzalez and Crawford’s contract
expire). In exchange, the Red Sox received struggling first baseman James Loney
and 4 prospects with varying degrees of major league experience. The most
promising among them is 23 year old pitcher Rubby De La Rosa, who has shown top
of the rotation potential in limited appearances for the Dodgers. Loney should
also shore up first base for the Red Sox until they figure out what they want
to do in the long term. Although getting a ton of money off the salary cap was
Boston’s primary motivation, this group of players should help the Red Sox out
in the seasons to come.
The motivation for the Dodgers to complete is a little less
obvious. Los Angeles clearly isn’t afraid to spend money; this trade coming
after new owners bought the team for over $2 billion in May. Gonzalez is the prize,
but the Dodgers had to take a lot of seemingly dead salary back in order to get
him. Beckett has had a very bad season, and Crawford enormous salary isn’t
going to be paid out for another five years. Both players certainly have potential
for greatness, but are highly overpaid at the moment. If money really is no object,
the Dodgers did a fantastic job in improving their chances to compete
immediately. The team is currently fighting the Giants for the NL West division
crown, and these new players should help them win this year and in the next few
seasons, assuming the health and improvement of Beckett and Crawford.
It’s clear this was a bold move for both teams, but the true
winner and loser won’t be determined for at least a few more years. The Dodgers
could be saddled with heavy and useless contracts, or could be talented long
term contenders in the National League. The Red Sox may use their new cap space
to make good free agent moves, or they could be bad for few more seasons and
struggle to lure big name talent. One thing is certain, however: this trade
will be remembered by both teams as a time when they each took audacious steps
in a new direction.
No comments:
Post a Comment