Boston Red Sox History: Addition by Subtraction
By David Hill
Typically, a trade is made in order to improve the talent on the field. In this case, when the Boston Red Sox sent Josh Beckett, Carl Crawford, Adrian Gonzalez and Nick Punto to the Los Angeles Dodgers, it was about changing the atmosphere around the team.
The phrase ‘addition by subtraction’ seems to be unique to baseball. There are players who wear out their welcome on their current team, and need a change of scenery in order to get back to their former glory. Players can just be a bad fit for whatever reason, upsetting clubhouse chemistry and causing a team to play below their talent level. Such was the case with the Boston Red Sox in 2012.
Granted, the Red Sox that season were a disaster in their own right. Bobby Valentine was brought in as manager, and he immediately clashed with the veterans in the clubhouse. The mix never felt right all season, with Boston underperforming. Players like Carl Crawford had proven to be costly mistakes, as the Red Sox looked to be hamstrung by their payroll for the foreseeable future. Fortunately for them, the Los Angeles Dodgers were looking to make a splash in August.
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In their quest to win a World Series, they took on Crawford, along with Josh Beckett, Adrian Gonzalez and Nick Punto. Gonzalez was the real loss for the Red Sox, as they still valued his all around game and felt he would work in Boston. Beckett had more than worn out his welcome, the ringleader of the “chicken and beer” incident and someone who was golfing instead of working back from injury. Crawford just never fit in with the Red Sox, succumbing to the pressure of his enormous contract.
In exchange, the Red Sox received James Loney and several prospects. Loney remained in Boston to finish out the year at first, then bolted for the Tampa Bay Rays after the season. Rubby de la Rosa, Ivan DeJesus, Allen Webster and Jerry Sands also made the trip to Boston, as the Red Sox actually got a solid return for seemingly untradeable commodities.
While none of the players that Boston received would play a significant part in their future, the trade turned out to be exactly what they needed. With a new manager in John Farrell, and a more cohesive locker room, the Red Sox would win the World Series the following year. The Dodgers, meanwhile, failed to make the postseason that year.
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It was a classic case of addition by subtraction. With this trade, made on this day in 2012, the Boston Red Sox changed their immediate fortunes, making their third World Series title of the 21st century possible.