Analyzing the Red Sox-Dodgers deal - the Biggest in the History of Professional Sport
It is easily the
biggest trade in sporting history. The recently concluded Boston Red Sox- LA
Dodgers deal which ended in Boston sending marquee names like Adrian Gonzalez, Carl
Crawford and Nick Punto along with ace pitcher Josh Beckett to the Dodgers in
exchange for James Loney and a number of prospects. More importantly Boston
ended up freeing about 250 million dollars worth from their payroll. The deal
has set tongues wagging on the east and west coast with pundits discussing the
merits and the demerits for both teams.
Gonzalez and Beckett : East-West Swing
From the Boston
point of view, the trade smacks of a top heavy, lurching franchise admitting to
its mistakes over the past 2 years, conceding defeat in the playoff race and
aiming to rebuild with a view to next season. In 2011 when Boston acquired the marquee
free-agents Gonzalez and CC, they were touted as pre-season favourites to win
the World Series. Things did not pan out quite so well. Although A –Gone had a
creditable first season (putting up MVP numbers) his production since then has
dipped considerably. Crawford, to put it bluntly, has been an abject failure in
Boston with injuries, form and confidence making him one of the worst free
agent transfers in recent years. Beckett, an undoubted pitching ace responsible
for the 2 world series triumphs in 2004 and 2007, has been inconsistent over
the past 2 years. Add to it last year’s abject September surrender , the managerial
fiasco (the Francona sacking and the Valentine chaos), the beer –fried chicken
saga and this season’s poor form – this was a team crying out to be revamped. What
this trade ensures is that come November, the Red Sox will be in pole position
to attract the big name free agents (Josh Hamilton being the most obvious one).
Their starting pitching, even minus Beckett, on paper does not look very bad
(Lester , Buchholz and a fit Lackey) :
and they could obviously add to that with all the free salary space.
The trade for the
Dodgers on the other hand signifies only one thing – mounting a serious playoff
challenge. They are 2 games behind the Giants in the NL-West and given the
riches at their disposal, are likely to at the very least secure a wild-card
playoff spot. Their line-up (especially if A-Gone gets hot) with Ethier and
Kemp matches the firepower of the rangers Texas and the Yankees. Beckett , of course
is a different matter. The unquestioned ace in LA is the reigning Cy Young
winner, Clayton Kershaw. Beckett might be the spark to fire the pitching staff
to greater heights, or he could possibly be a divisive influence. One thing he definitely
brings to the table is playoff and championship winning pedigree.
The quarter of a
billion dollar deal has been locked in – the fun now begins to see how the cast
plays out. Will the Dodgers reach the playoffs – likely. Will they win the World
Series – unlikely (there are at least 3-4 better teams in the Majors) and as
Boston themselves have proved: Marquee names do not necessarily mean a
prolonged post-season.
P.S. : Adrian Gonzalez launched a 3 run homer
in his first at-bat as a dodger earlier today.
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