According the various outlets, the Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers will announce the completion of a gigantic nine-player deal on Saturday with cash and millions upon millions of dollars of future salaries heading west, as the Dodgers look to solidify their roster for the playoffs with new ownership letting the world know that they will do whatever it takes, and spend whatever they have to, to bring a championship to Los Angeles.
According to the reports, this is the deal:
Dodgers receive: (with remaining contracts after the 2012 season)
Adrian Gonzalez: six-years, $127 million
Carl Crawford: five-years, $102.5 million
Josh Beckett: two-years, $31.5 million
Nick Punto: one-year, $1.5 million
$12 million in cash for salary assistance
Red Sox receive:
Rubby De La Rosa
Allen Webster
Jerry Sands
Ivan DeJesus
James Loney
So, who is the winner here? I have to say that both teams are winners, and this is why:
Boston just rid themselves of financially crippling contracts. Adrian Gonzalez was a bargain when compared to the Joey Votto and Albert Pujols contracts in the last 12 months; however, the ability to get rid of Carl Crawford’s terrible contract makes dealing Gonzalez a success. Crawford has made over $34 million since arriving in Boston in 2011, playing in 161-games and hitting .260/.292/.419, hardly the player that he was in Tampa. Josh Beckett had an excellent season in 2011, posting a 2.89 ERA over 30 starts, while compiling a 13-7 record. Since September 21, 2011, however, Beckett is 5-13 with a 5.50 ERA over 23 starts, and he was a part of the chicken and beer collapse of the Red Sox clubhouse. His conditioning, attitude and performance are all questionable parts of his existence, so to rid this contract is huge for Boston. The ability to change the clubhouse by eliminating attitude problems and opening up the future financial abilities of the franchise for new free agent talents, like Josh Hamilton. The thing to remember here, though, is that the Red Sox are getting some excellent talent here. Webster and De La Rosa are excellent pitching prospects, and Jerry Sands has proven himself in the minors while struggling in his auditions in the bigs. Loney will be a free agent after the 2012 season, so he is just a body for the time being.
Los Angeles gets the contracts, but they also get the talent. Adrian Gonzalez in the middle of the order with Matt Kemp is absolutely scary. Carl Crawford, while he won’t play in 2012 and he has been injured for most of the last two seasons, has still posted 39 doubles, nine triples, 14 home runs, 75 RBI and 23 steals in 161 games for the Red Sox, which is one season worth of at bats. Josh Beckett had a 3.46 ERA in his 106 games with the Marlins, and now he returns to the National League, in a weaker division, where pitching parks like Dodger Stadium, PETCO and AT&T Park will be his everyday environments. While the Dodgers take on a couple of bad contracts, they also have talent and abilities which may have just needed a change of scenery.
This trade could be the biggest blockbuster in the history of baseball. The names and money that is being dealt by Boston to Los Angeles is absolutely unfathomable. If this deal was done in your fantasy baseball league right now, it would be vetoed. This is a win for both teams because of the salary dump and the talent involved for both teams.
The Baseball Haven 