Photo by Stuart Cahill
WHAT’S THE DEAL? Although manager Bobby Valentine insisted
before last night’s game he knew nothing of any potential trades, Adrian
Gonzalez was scratched from the lineup, along with Josh Beckett and
Carl Crawford.
The Red Sox [team stats] are not just cleaning house.
They are gutting it.
A proposed megadeal between the Red Sox and the Dodgers was in deep discussion last night according to a Red Sox source, a blockbuster that would send Josh Beckett [stats], Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford and Nick Punto to the Dodgers.
In exchange, the Red Sox would receive hundreds of millions of dollars in salary relief — more than 95 percent of the remaining money on the books of those four players — as well as five Dodgers who were, according to Fox Sports, major league first baseman James Loney and four minor leaguers: right-hander Allen Webster (a top pitching prospect), right-hander Rubby de la Rosa, outfielder Jerry Sands and second baseman Ivan De Jesus.
The deal was not consummated as of last night, but both Gonzalez and Loney were scratched from their starts.
As of last night, manager Bobby Valentine said that Beckett was still his starter tonight.
“(Pitching coach) Randy (Niemann) just asked me that and I could only tell him, to the best of my knowledge, yes,” said Valentine.
There were two possible hitches that could complicate matters.
The Dodgers were still reviewing the medical reports on the Red Sox — those of Beckett and Crawford, who just had Tommy John surgery, are critical. If those were cleared, the Red Sox would then have to present the trade to both Beckett and Crawford, each of whom has the right to veto the deal.
Heading into the wee hours last night, it was not possible to determine how either player felt about being traded. While there was no guarantee that both would sign off on it, the possibility existed that the Red Sox had received indications from each that a Los Angeles destination would be OK before the talks advanced very far.
The names the Red Sox are set to receive are not familiar to most but that is not the impetus behind the trade. The impetus is being able to clear as much as $271.5 million in committed payroll, a drastic slash-and-burn attempt by a Red Sox organization eager to return to the club to stable footing after losing its bearing the last couple of years.
A Red Sox source said last night that the Dodgers would be on the hook for “more than $260 million” of the remaining contracts of the four Red Sox players, which is nearly 96 percent.
A payroll restart would come as welcome relief for a club that has not won a playoff game since 2008 and has had a terrible track record of free agent signings, beginning with John Lackey and Mike Cameron after the 2009 season and then going hog-wild after 2010, when it traded for Gonzalez and signed Crawford. Three top prospects went to San Diego for Gonzalez, who in 2011 signed a seven-year extension worth $154 million through 2018. Crawford’s deal was a seven-year deal worth $142 million that ran through 2017, while Beckett re-upped in April 2010 for a four-year deal worth $68 million.
Beckett became persona non grata last offseason when he was the poster boy for the beer-and-fried-chicken debacle that was the backdrop for the club’s historic September collapse. His unapologetic and contrarian personality has not played well this year, nor have his pitching efforts as he has posted a 5-11 record and 5.23 ERA.
Gonzalez had a good first season, but only lately this season did he begin to approach the big power and batting average results the club desired. What’s more, when Gonzalez’ name and cellphone got dragged into the alleged Kelly Shoppach text to owners last month about clubhouse dissatisfaction, he likely drifted toward the outer bounds of the circle of trust within the ballclub.
Crawford’s first season was a bust, and while he tried to come back this year, a succession of unforeseen injuries completely hindered him.
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