Kevin Kennedy's second and final season as the Red Sox was a letdown after their AL East Championship season of 1995. There was again a lot of roster turnover and Boston consulted with an individual more known for rotisserie (fantasy) baseball which lead to some slightly unusual personnel decisions. The team got off to a dreadful 6-19 start which they never really recovered from, despite the fact that they were one of the top teams during the summer. This was a year when they traded off a lot of players. Unfortunately, most of the players they acquired did very little. They finished the season at 85-77, in third place
FIVE FAVORITE PLAYERS
Mo Vaughn
After his MVP season of 1995, Vaughn was under some pressure to repeat his performance. If anything, he was better. Vaughn was the sole All Star for the Red Sox in 1996 as he hit .326/.420/.583. He lead the league in plate appearances and finished in the top ten in just about every major offensive category. He hit 44 home runs with 143 RBIs. It was a monster season for the Hit Dog.
John Valentin
Unlike Vaughn, Valentin was not able to continue his success from the previous season. He was still decent though, if a little bit more average in 1996. Valentin ended the season at .296/.374/.436 with 13 home runs and 59 RBIs. He also stole nine bases while being caught ten times. His numbers across the board were down. With the impending emergence of Nomar Garciaparra, Valentin's name started getting bandied about in trade rumors.
Roger Clemens
Despite a losing record, The Rocket was back in fine form. He finished the season with a 10-13 record, but lead the league with 257 strikeouts and had a 3.63 ERA. Clemens also replicated his record 20 strikeout game late in the season, this time against the Tigers. Unfortunately this was the final season for Clemens in Boston.
Jose Canseco
Canseco was on his way to one of his best seasons until missing a month and a half with an injury. He ended up only playing in 96 games, but finished with a batting line of .289/.400/.589 with 28 home runs and 82 RBIs. Had he played the full season, he would have likely ended up with 40 home runs and 100 RBIs.
Tim Wakefield
The knuckleballer was nowhere near as impressive in 1996 as he had been the previous season. He still won 14 games, but lost 13 and finished with an ERA of 5.14. But he was a workhorse, pitching 211.2 innings and striking out 140. Such is the plight of the knuckleball pitcher.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Tim Naehring
The longtime prospect continued to improve. He looked like a good bet to become a star after hitting .288/.363/.444 with 17 home runs and 65 RBIs. He did only get 16 doubles, which is kind of an odd thing for someone with that many home runs.
Mike Greenwell
It was Gator's final season in Boston. 1996 ended up being his final season in the Major Leagues despite an attempt with the Reds. He ended up only appearing in 77 games, but had a high point when he had a nine RBI game, accounting for all of Boston's runs, a record. His season line was .295/.336/.441 with seven home runs.
Reggie Jefferson
Jefferson had bounced from team to team for years before finally breaking through in 1996. He was able to play in over 100 games for the first time due to injuries to Canseco and Greenwell. He responded with a terrific season, hitting .347/.388/.593 with 19 home runs and 74 RBIs.
FAVORITE ACQUISITIONS
Mike Stanley
One of the rare players to come to the Red Sox directly from the Yankees and actually do well. Stanley was 33 years old but a terrific hitter. He was not quite the same behind the plate though and 1996 would be his last season as a full-time catcher. He ended up hitting .270/.383/.506 with 24 home runs and 69 RBIs. He also walked more than he struck out, unusual for a catcher. It was the best offensive season by a Red Sox catcher since Carlton Fisk.
Tom Gordon
The diminutive right-hander was brought to Boston to be a number two starter, but he did not end up having a terribly good year. His record was 12-9 which was a little deceptive because his ERA ended up being 5.59. He did strike out 171 hitters in 215.1 innings though.
Heathcliff Slocumb
Since Rick Aguilera left as a free agent, Boston swung a trade with the Phillies to acquire closer Slocumb. He got off to a horrific start but calmed down to become one of the most reliable closers in the league. He ended up with 31 saves for the Red Sox and 88 strikeouts in 83.1 innings.
FAVORITE MIDSEASON ACQUISITIONS
Darren Bragg
As I mentioned earlier, Boston traded off a number of players in 1996, including Mike Stanton, Jamie Moyer, Kevin Mitchell, and Jeff Manto. Bragg was acquired in the Moyer trade and ended up having the longest tenure in Boston of any of the new players. He hit .252/.357/.365 with Boston and became the team's starting center fielder. He was always a hard-nosed player which endeared him to the fans.
FAVORITE ROOKIE
Mark Brandenburg
This is the closest I could find to a decent rookie in 1996. The side-arming Brandenburg was acquired in the Stanton trade and ended up with a 4-2 record, 3.81 ERA and 29 strikeouts in 28.1 innings. Not bad.
BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENTS
Kevin Mitchell
After playing in Japan in 1995, Mitchell returned to the Major Leagues with the Red Sox and was one of the more unusual acquisitions by the team. He was expected to add some extra pop to the lineup but ended up playing only 27 games. He hit reasonably well with a line of .304/.385/.413 but only hit two home runs and drove in 13. He was later dealt to the Reds for two players who never made the Red Sox big league team.
Wil Cordero
Cordero was yet another player acquired because of his offensive ability, despite the fact that he was something less than a wizard in the field. He was more a disappointment due to getting hurt early on and only playing in 59 games. He did hit .288/.330/.404 with three home runs and 37 RBIs. Boston ended up getting Jeff Frye to make up for losing Cordero for most of the season.
Alex Cole
This one is more personal. I am not sure anyone really expected much out of Alex Cole, but I always liked him. He was fast and he wore goggles. It was endearing. He ended up only playing in 24 games with the Red Sox with a terrible .222/.296/.319 line. He did steal five bases, but he was caught three times. Not impressive at all. He was only brought in, along with Milt Cuyler, in case Dwayne Hosey was a fluke, which he was, but neither Cole nor Cuyler were any good either, so Boston did the sensible thing and brought Lee Tinsley back and then acquired Bragg. It worked out, sort of.
Showing posts with label canseco. Show all posts
Showing posts with label canseco. Show all posts
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Friday, March 8, 2013
Season in Review: 1995
1995 was another abbreviated season as the strike continued to early in the year. Replacement players reported to Spring Training, some of whom would eventually make it back to the Majors later. There was no free agency between the seasons so all of the new players were acquired in trades. Boston was very active on that front as there was a massive overhaul of the team. It was successful as they won the AL East with an 86-58 record under Kevin Kennedy for the first time.
Boston played the juggernaut Indians in the ALDS and were swept in three games.
FIVE FAVORITE PLAYERS
Mo Vaughn
The 1995 AL MVP won the award mostly due to the fact that he was not a complete asshole like Albert Belle who actually had vastly superior numbers. Vaughn was probably elected the MVP due to his intangibles more than his numbers, though he certainly had good numbers. Vaughn hit .300/.388/.575 with 39 home runs and tied for the league lead for RBIs with 126. He also shockingly stole 11 bases in 1995.
John Valentin
As good as Vaughn was, Valentin was probably better, certainly because he played a tougher position. Valentin hit .298/.399/.533 with 27 home runs and 102 RBIs. He also stole 20 bases becoming the first Red Sox 20/20 man since Ellis Burks. He was also very good defensively. He lead the Majors in WAR in 1995, which was not really a thing at that time. It was a terrific season that has mostly gone unnoticed. He did win the Silver Slugger and finished ninth in the MVP race. Had it happened around this time, he may have won it.
Roger Clemens
Clemens did not have a great year in 1995. He was injured the first part of the year and he did finish the year with a 10-5 record. He also struck out 132 batters in 140 innings pitched, but his ERA was a decidedly unimpressive 4.18. It was a good thing that Boston had other pitchers to pick up the slack.
Tim Naehring
After years of being so close to cracking the starting lineup, Naehring finally got a chance to prove himself in 1995. He became the full-time third-baseman after the trade of Scott Cooper to the Cardinals and instantly responded. Naehring hit .307/.415/.448 with ten home runs and 57 RBIs, all the while playing good defense. Naehring looked to be a rising star in 1995.
Mike Greenwell
Greenwell managed to put together a fairly successful season as well. He hit .297/.349/.402 with 15 home runs and 76 RBIs. It was a fairly typical year for the Gator.
HONORABLE MENTION
Lee Tinsley
Tinsley became the starting center fielder after Otis Nixon was traded away, though he had a couple of threats to his job in the acquisition of Willie McGee and the rise of Dwayne Hosey. His numbers were not bad, but Boston never seemed to totally trust him. He ended the season with a .284/.359/.402 line and seven home runs, not bad numbers for a leadoff hitter. He also stole 18 bases.
FAVORITE ACQUISITIONS
Jose Canseco
My young mind was blown when Boston traded for Jose Canseco, one of the biggest stars I was aware of when I started watching baseball. And he was not that far removed from those days. Canseco struggled through some injuries but put up some big numbers when he was healthy. He ended the year with a .306/.378/.556 line with 24 home runs and 81 RBIs.
Tim Wakefield
Wakefield had been a success for the Pirates in 1992 but struggled the next couple of years. He was a low-risk, high-reward reclamation project. It definitely paid off in 1995 as Wakefield finished third in the Cy Young race and 13th in the MVP race. He struggled a bit down the stretch, otherwise he would have won the Cy Young. He finished the season 16-8 with a 2.95 ERA and 119 strikeouts, a great season for the knuckleballer.
Erik Hanson
Hanson started out the season as the most reliable Red Sox starter and quietly put together a very good season. He was named to the All Star team for the first time, though he never pitched in the game. He finished the year 15-5 with a 4.24 ERA and 139 strikeouts.
Troy O'Leary
Another low-risk, high-reward signing, O'Leary was waived by the Brewers and picked up when Mark Whiten was struggling. O'Leary ended up hitting .308/.355/.491 with ten home runs and 49 RBIs. They were not great numbers, but for his first real crack at a Major League job, they were nothing to sneeze at.
FAVORITE MIDSEASON ACQUISITION
Rick Aguilera
1995 was the first year I was really aware of the trading deadline. I realized that Jeff Reardon was traded away and Rob Deer was acquired at the deadlines, but this was the year I really learned about it. Boston was contending but Ken Ryan was failing as a closer, so they sent top prospect Frank Rodriguez to the Twins for Aguilera who ended up compiling 20 saves for the Red Sox and really helped them make the playoffs. Of course he returned to the Twins after the season.
FAVORITE ROOKIE
Vaughn Eshelman
Eshelman had a very good start to his career, winning his first three Major League games, not bad for a Rule V pick. He ended the season with a 6-3 record and a 4.85 ERA. Not bad, but certainly not great numbers for the rookie southpaw.
BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENTS
Mark Whiten
I had high hopes for Mark Whiten. Two years before, he hit 25 home runs for the Cardinals. He was picked up in the trade for Scott Cooper. Both Cooper and Whiten disappointed for their new teams. Whiten was hurt a lot and ended up hitting only .185/.239/.241 with just one home run in 32 games. He was eventually traded for Dave Hollins who played just five games for Boston.
Aaron Sele
Sele pitched on Opening Day and was expected to bust loose for the Red Sox after two decent seasons to start his career. Unfortunately he was shut down with a season-ending injury early on and only ended up pitching in six games for the Red Sox in 1995.
PLAYOFF HERO
Luis Alicea
Alicea had a decent year all the way around in 1995 but he really shined in the ALDS. He had six hits in only ten at-bats and also had two walks, ending up with a line of .600/.667/1.000. He also had a home run, a double, and an RBI. Boston had a miserable ALDS, but it was not Alicea's fault.
PLAYOFF GOAT
Mo Vaughn
Vaughn was quite frankly, terrible in the 1995 ALDS. He did not have a single hit and struck out seven times in 14 at-bats. Miserable numbers that did not help the team at all.
Boston played the juggernaut Indians in the ALDS and were swept in three games.
FIVE FAVORITE PLAYERS
Mo Vaughn
The 1995 AL MVP won the award mostly due to the fact that he was not a complete asshole like Albert Belle who actually had vastly superior numbers. Vaughn was probably elected the MVP due to his intangibles more than his numbers, though he certainly had good numbers. Vaughn hit .300/.388/.575 with 39 home runs and tied for the league lead for RBIs with 126. He also shockingly stole 11 bases in 1995.
John Valentin
As good as Vaughn was, Valentin was probably better, certainly because he played a tougher position. Valentin hit .298/.399/.533 with 27 home runs and 102 RBIs. He also stole 20 bases becoming the first Red Sox 20/20 man since Ellis Burks. He was also very good defensively. He lead the Majors in WAR in 1995, which was not really a thing at that time. It was a terrific season that has mostly gone unnoticed. He did win the Silver Slugger and finished ninth in the MVP race. Had it happened around this time, he may have won it.
Roger Clemens
Clemens did not have a great year in 1995. He was injured the first part of the year and he did finish the year with a 10-5 record. He also struck out 132 batters in 140 innings pitched, but his ERA was a decidedly unimpressive 4.18. It was a good thing that Boston had other pitchers to pick up the slack.
Tim Naehring
After years of being so close to cracking the starting lineup, Naehring finally got a chance to prove himself in 1995. He became the full-time third-baseman after the trade of Scott Cooper to the Cardinals and instantly responded. Naehring hit .307/.415/.448 with ten home runs and 57 RBIs, all the while playing good defense. Naehring looked to be a rising star in 1995.
Mike Greenwell
Greenwell managed to put together a fairly successful season as well. He hit .297/.349/.402 with 15 home runs and 76 RBIs. It was a fairly typical year for the Gator.
HONORABLE MENTION
Lee Tinsley
Tinsley became the starting center fielder after Otis Nixon was traded away, though he had a couple of threats to his job in the acquisition of Willie McGee and the rise of Dwayne Hosey. His numbers were not bad, but Boston never seemed to totally trust him. He ended the season with a .284/.359/.402 line and seven home runs, not bad numbers for a leadoff hitter. He also stole 18 bases.
FAVORITE ACQUISITIONS
Jose Canseco
My young mind was blown when Boston traded for Jose Canseco, one of the biggest stars I was aware of when I started watching baseball. And he was not that far removed from those days. Canseco struggled through some injuries but put up some big numbers when he was healthy. He ended the year with a .306/.378/.556 line with 24 home runs and 81 RBIs.
Tim Wakefield
Wakefield had been a success for the Pirates in 1992 but struggled the next couple of years. He was a low-risk, high-reward reclamation project. It definitely paid off in 1995 as Wakefield finished third in the Cy Young race and 13th in the MVP race. He struggled a bit down the stretch, otherwise he would have won the Cy Young. He finished the season 16-8 with a 2.95 ERA and 119 strikeouts, a great season for the knuckleballer.
Erik Hanson
Hanson started out the season as the most reliable Red Sox starter and quietly put together a very good season. He was named to the All Star team for the first time, though he never pitched in the game. He finished the year 15-5 with a 4.24 ERA and 139 strikeouts.
Troy O'Leary
Another low-risk, high-reward signing, O'Leary was waived by the Brewers and picked up when Mark Whiten was struggling. O'Leary ended up hitting .308/.355/.491 with ten home runs and 49 RBIs. They were not great numbers, but for his first real crack at a Major League job, they were nothing to sneeze at.
FAVORITE MIDSEASON ACQUISITION
Rick Aguilera
1995 was the first year I was really aware of the trading deadline. I realized that Jeff Reardon was traded away and Rob Deer was acquired at the deadlines, but this was the year I really learned about it. Boston was contending but Ken Ryan was failing as a closer, so they sent top prospect Frank Rodriguez to the Twins for Aguilera who ended up compiling 20 saves for the Red Sox and really helped them make the playoffs. Of course he returned to the Twins after the season.
FAVORITE ROOKIE
Vaughn Eshelman
Eshelman had a very good start to his career, winning his first three Major League games, not bad for a Rule V pick. He ended the season with a 6-3 record and a 4.85 ERA. Not bad, but certainly not great numbers for the rookie southpaw.
BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENTS
Mark Whiten
I had high hopes for Mark Whiten. Two years before, he hit 25 home runs for the Cardinals. He was picked up in the trade for Scott Cooper. Both Cooper and Whiten disappointed for their new teams. Whiten was hurt a lot and ended up hitting only .185/.239/.241 with just one home run in 32 games. He was eventually traded for Dave Hollins who played just five games for Boston.
Aaron Sele
Sele pitched on Opening Day and was expected to bust loose for the Red Sox after two decent seasons to start his career. Unfortunately he was shut down with a season-ending injury early on and only ended up pitching in six games for the Red Sox in 1995.
PLAYOFF HERO
Luis Alicea
Alicea had a decent year all the way around in 1995 but he really shined in the ALDS. He had six hits in only ten at-bats and also had two walks, ending up with a line of .600/.667/1.000. He also had a home run, a double, and an RBI. Boston had a miserable ALDS, but it was not Alicea's fault.
PLAYOFF GOAT
Mo Vaughn
Vaughn was quite frankly, terrible in the 1995 ALDS. He did not have a single hit and struck out seven times in 14 at-bats. Miserable numbers that did not help the team at all.
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Feature: Best (And Worst) Red Sox Trades Since 1991
Most of my articles, you will notice, are limited to the time since 1991. That's not to say that I do not know as much about periods before then, I have researched thoroughly. But research only gets you so far. I have seen the players since 1991 and that helps me make more informed decisions.
With that little explanation, I want to look at five trades that I consider to be the best Red Sox trades since 1991. And then I will look at five that I consider to be the worst.
THE BEST
1995
Red Sox get: DH Jose Canseco
In two seasons with Boston, Canseco hit 52 home runs and had a slash line of .298/.389/.571/.960. Sure, he was on steroids, but so were a lot of other players. If it had not been for injuries, his home run total would have looked even better. WAR=5.1
Rangers get: CF Otis Nixon and 3B Luis Ortiz
Nixon played reasonably well for Texas, stealing 50 bases and hitting .295, but his only real weapon was speed. WAR=0.5
Ortiz played part-time for Texas in 1995 but even less in 1996 and was out of baseball after that. WAR=-1.1
TOTAL WAR=-0.6
1996
Red Sox get: RP Heathcliff Slocumb, P Larry Wimberly, OF Rick Holyfield
Slocumb is the only player to be in the Major Leagues out of these three. He put together a very good 1996 season for the Red Sox, going 5-5 with a 3.02 ERA, 88 strikeouts in 83.2 innings, and saved 31 games. He was pretty disastrous in 1997 but still managed 17 saves before he was traded, but that is part of why this trade was so great too. See below. WAR=3.2
Winberly and Holyfield never made it to the Majors.
TOTAL WAR=3.2
Phillies get: RP Ken Ryan, OF Lee Tinsley, OF Glenn Murray
Ken Ryan was supposed to be a closer-in-waiting. He did have a pretty good 1996 for the Phillies, going 3-5, 2.43 ERA and struck out 70 in 89 innings. But he never came close to those numbers again. WAR=0.8
Lee Tinsley played 31 ugly games for the Phillies and returned to Boston. WAR=-1.1
Glenn Murray played 38 ugly games for the Phillies and never returned to the Majors. WAR=-0.6
TOTAL WAR=-1.3
1997
Red Sox get: P Derek Lowe and C Jason Varitek
In eight seasons with Boston, Derek Lowe went 70-55, 3.72 ERA with 673 strikeouts. He once saved 40 games (2000) and won 20 games (2002). He was a two-time All Star (2000, 2002) and finished third in the Cy Young Award voting in 2002. He won the clinching games for all three postseason series in 2004. He also pitched a no-hitter against the Devil Rays in 2002. WAR=18.4
Jason Varitek has played in 14 seasons for the Red Sox with a slash line of .258/.343/.436/.778. He has hit 182 home runs and played the most games as a Red Sox catcher ever. He is the captain of the team. He is a three-time All Star (2003, 2005, 2008) and won the Gold Glove and Silver Slugger in 2005. He has caught four no-hitters (Hideo Nomo, Derek Lowe, Clay Buchholz, Jon Lester). WAR=23.1
TOTAL WAR=41.5
Mariners get: RP Heathcliff Slocumb
See. Slocumb in two years with Seattle was awful. He went 2-9, 4.97 ERA and 13 saves. WAR=0.4
1998
Red Sox get: P Pedro Martinez
Do I really have to talk about what Pedro did? Okay, 117-37, 2.52 ERA, 1,683 strikeouts in 1,383.2 innings. Two-time Cy Young winner (1999, 2000), four-time All Star. Looks to be headed to the Hall of Fame, with a Red Sox cap on his plaque. WAR=47.6
Expos get: P Carl Pavano and P Tony Armas Jr.
Pavano went 24-35 in five seasons for the Expos. He had a 4.83 ERA and 304 strikeouts in 452.2 innings. WAR=2.0
Armas Jr. pitched for eight seasons with the Expos and Nationals, as he was with the team when they relocated. He went 48-60, 4.45 ERA, and 680 strikeouts in 925.2 innings. WAR=7.7
TOTAL WAR=9.7
2004
Red Sox get: P Curt Schilling
Curt Schilling went 53-29, with a 3.95 ERA and 574 strikeouts in 675 innings. He won 21 games in 2004 and lead the league in wins and winning percentage. He was an All Star that year and finished second in the Cy Young race. He basically ruined his career with his heroics in the 2004 postseason, but had a couple of solid seasons afterwards. WAR=14.5
Diamondbacks get: P Casey Fossum, P Jorge De La Rosa, P Brandon Lyon, and OF Michael Goss
Casey Fossum spent one year in Arizona going 4-15 with a 6.65 ERA. WAR=-1.3
Jorge De La Rosa was traded a few days later as part of a large package to Milwaukee for Richie Sexson. WAR=0.0
Brandon Lyon spent four years in Arizona and went 11-15, 4.03 ERA and 42 saves. WAR=1.7
Michael Goss never made the Major Leagues. WAR=0.0
TOTAL WAR=0.4
THE WORST
1996
Red Sox get: OF Darren Bragg
Bragg spent three years in Boston with a slash line of .264/.346/.395/.741 with 20 home runs and 21 stolen bases. WAR=5.4
Mariners get: P Jamie Moyer
Moyer spent 11 years with Seattle and went 145-87 with a 3.97 ERA. He won 20 games twice for the Mariners. WAR=32.4
1998
Red Sox get: C/DH Jim Leyritz and OF Damon Buford
Leyritz was a very good player for Boston but did not like being a part-timer and forced a trade to San Diego where Boston got three spare parts (Mandy Romero, Dario Veras, Carlos Reyes). Leyritz went .287/.385/.519/.904 with eight home runs and 24 RBIs. WAR=0.7
Buford spent two years as a backup outfielder going .259/.317/.453/.770 with 16 home runs, 80 RBIs, and 14 stolen bases and played great outfield defense. WAR=1.8
TOTAL WAR=2.5
Rangers get: P Aaron Sele, C Bill Haselman, RP Mark Brandenburg
Sele spent two years in Texas going 37-20. WAR=5.7
Haselman was a backup catcher with power. WAR=0.6
Brandenburg did not make the Major Leagues with Texas. WAR=0.0
TOTAL WAR=6.3
2000
Red Sox get: RP Hector Carrasco
Carrasco was terrible with Boston. He went 1-1 with a 9.45 ERA with seven strikeouts in 6.2 innings and was a free agent after the season when he returned to Minnesota. WAR=-0.4
Twins get: OF Lew Ford
Ford played five seasons for the Twins with a slash line of .272/.349/.402/.751 with 32 home runs and 47 stolen bases. WAR=3.2
2003
Red Sox get: P Jeff Suppan, RP Brandon Lyon, RP Anastacio Martinez
Suppan was supposed to help stabilize the rotation for the stretch run. He went 3-4 with a 5.57 ERA and 32 strikeouts in 63 innings. WAR=0.2
I will not consider the WAR values of Brandon Lyon and Anastacio Martinez as they were reacquired from Pittsburgh due to some complaints about Lyon's shoulder. Both were with the Red Sox earlier in the season.
Pirates get: 2B Freddy Sanchez, RP Mike Gonzalez
Sanchez spent six years in Pittsburgh with a slash line of .301/.338/.424/.761. He won the batting title in 2006 and lead the NL in doubles. He was a three time All Star. WAR=11.6
Gonzalez was reacquired by Pittsburgh for the same reason as Lyon and Martinez above. This trade was just a mess.
2007
Red Sox get: RP Eric Gagne
Gagne was 2-2 with a 6.75 ERA but had 22 strikeouts in 18.2 innings. WAR=-0.4
Rangers get: OF David Murphy, P Kason Gabbard, OF Engel Beltre
Murphy has been with the Rangers for four seasons so far and put up a slash line of .283/.342/.459/.802 with 46 home runs, 210 RBIs, and 30 stolen bases. WAR=5.3
Gabbard was 4-4 with a 5.14 ERA. WAR=0.0
Beltre is a top prospect in the Rangers system. WAR=0.0 (so far)
With that little explanation, I want to look at five trades that I consider to be the best Red Sox trades since 1991. And then I will look at five that I consider to be the worst.
THE BEST
1995
Red Sox get: DH Jose Canseco
In two seasons with Boston, Canseco hit 52 home runs and had a slash line of .298/.389/.571/.960. Sure, he was on steroids, but so were a lot of other players. If it had not been for injuries, his home run total would have looked even better. WAR=5.1
Rangers get: CF Otis Nixon and 3B Luis Ortiz
Nixon played reasonably well for Texas, stealing 50 bases and hitting .295, but his only real weapon was speed. WAR=0.5
Ortiz played part-time for Texas in 1995 but even less in 1996 and was out of baseball after that. WAR=-1.1
TOTAL WAR=-0.6
1996
Red Sox get: RP Heathcliff Slocumb, P Larry Wimberly, OF Rick Holyfield
Slocumb is the only player to be in the Major Leagues out of these three. He put together a very good 1996 season for the Red Sox, going 5-5 with a 3.02 ERA, 88 strikeouts in 83.2 innings, and saved 31 games. He was pretty disastrous in 1997 but still managed 17 saves before he was traded, but that is part of why this trade was so great too. See below. WAR=3.2
Winberly and Holyfield never made it to the Majors.
TOTAL WAR=3.2
Phillies get: RP Ken Ryan, OF Lee Tinsley, OF Glenn Murray
Ken Ryan was supposed to be a closer-in-waiting. He did have a pretty good 1996 for the Phillies, going 3-5, 2.43 ERA and struck out 70 in 89 innings. But he never came close to those numbers again. WAR=0.8
Lee Tinsley played 31 ugly games for the Phillies and returned to Boston. WAR=-1.1
Glenn Murray played 38 ugly games for the Phillies and never returned to the Majors. WAR=-0.6
TOTAL WAR=-1.3
1997
Red Sox get: P Derek Lowe and C Jason Varitek
In eight seasons with Boston, Derek Lowe went 70-55, 3.72 ERA with 673 strikeouts. He once saved 40 games (2000) and won 20 games (2002). He was a two-time All Star (2000, 2002) and finished third in the Cy Young Award voting in 2002. He won the clinching games for all three postseason series in 2004. He also pitched a no-hitter against the Devil Rays in 2002. WAR=18.4
Jason Varitek has played in 14 seasons for the Red Sox with a slash line of .258/.343/.436/.778. He has hit 182 home runs and played the most games as a Red Sox catcher ever. He is the captain of the team. He is a three-time All Star (2003, 2005, 2008) and won the Gold Glove and Silver Slugger in 2005. He has caught four no-hitters (Hideo Nomo, Derek Lowe, Clay Buchholz, Jon Lester). WAR=23.1
TOTAL WAR=41.5
Mariners get: RP Heathcliff Slocumb
See. Slocumb in two years with Seattle was awful. He went 2-9, 4.97 ERA and 13 saves. WAR=0.4
1998
Red Sox get: P Pedro Martinez
Do I really have to talk about what Pedro did? Okay, 117-37, 2.52 ERA, 1,683 strikeouts in 1,383.2 innings. Two-time Cy Young winner (1999, 2000), four-time All Star. Looks to be headed to the Hall of Fame, with a Red Sox cap on his plaque. WAR=47.6
Expos get: P Carl Pavano and P Tony Armas Jr.
Pavano went 24-35 in five seasons for the Expos. He had a 4.83 ERA and 304 strikeouts in 452.2 innings. WAR=2.0
Armas Jr. pitched for eight seasons with the Expos and Nationals, as he was with the team when they relocated. He went 48-60, 4.45 ERA, and 680 strikeouts in 925.2 innings. WAR=7.7
TOTAL WAR=9.7
2004
Red Sox get: P Curt Schilling
Curt Schilling went 53-29, with a 3.95 ERA and 574 strikeouts in 675 innings. He won 21 games in 2004 and lead the league in wins and winning percentage. He was an All Star that year and finished second in the Cy Young race. He basically ruined his career with his heroics in the 2004 postseason, but had a couple of solid seasons afterwards. WAR=14.5
Diamondbacks get: P Casey Fossum, P Jorge De La Rosa, P Brandon Lyon, and OF Michael Goss
Casey Fossum spent one year in Arizona going 4-15 with a 6.65 ERA. WAR=-1.3
Jorge De La Rosa was traded a few days later as part of a large package to Milwaukee for Richie Sexson. WAR=0.0
Brandon Lyon spent four years in Arizona and went 11-15, 4.03 ERA and 42 saves. WAR=1.7
Michael Goss never made the Major Leagues. WAR=0.0
TOTAL WAR=0.4
THE WORST
1996
Red Sox get: OF Darren Bragg
Bragg spent three years in Boston with a slash line of .264/.346/.395/.741 with 20 home runs and 21 stolen bases. WAR=5.4
Mariners get: P Jamie Moyer
Moyer spent 11 years with Seattle and went 145-87 with a 3.97 ERA. He won 20 games twice for the Mariners. WAR=32.4
1998
Red Sox get: C/DH Jim Leyritz and OF Damon Buford
Leyritz was a very good player for Boston but did not like being a part-timer and forced a trade to San Diego where Boston got three spare parts (Mandy Romero, Dario Veras, Carlos Reyes). Leyritz went .287/.385/.519/.904 with eight home runs and 24 RBIs. WAR=0.7
Buford spent two years as a backup outfielder going .259/.317/.453/.770 with 16 home runs, 80 RBIs, and 14 stolen bases and played great outfield defense. WAR=1.8
TOTAL WAR=2.5
Rangers get: P Aaron Sele, C Bill Haselman, RP Mark Brandenburg
Sele spent two years in Texas going 37-20. WAR=5.7
Haselman was a backup catcher with power. WAR=0.6
Brandenburg did not make the Major Leagues with Texas. WAR=0.0
TOTAL WAR=6.3
2000
Red Sox get: RP Hector Carrasco
Carrasco was terrible with Boston. He went 1-1 with a 9.45 ERA with seven strikeouts in 6.2 innings and was a free agent after the season when he returned to Minnesota. WAR=-0.4
Twins get: OF Lew Ford
Ford played five seasons for the Twins with a slash line of .272/.349/.402/.751 with 32 home runs and 47 stolen bases. WAR=3.2
2003
Red Sox get: P Jeff Suppan, RP Brandon Lyon, RP Anastacio Martinez
Suppan was supposed to help stabilize the rotation for the stretch run. He went 3-4 with a 5.57 ERA and 32 strikeouts in 63 innings. WAR=0.2
I will not consider the WAR values of Brandon Lyon and Anastacio Martinez as they were reacquired from Pittsburgh due to some complaints about Lyon's shoulder. Both were with the Red Sox earlier in the season.
Pirates get: 2B Freddy Sanchez, RP Mike Gonzalez
Sanchez spent six years in Pittsburgh with a slash line of .301/.338/.424/.761. He won the batting title in 2006 and lead the NL in doubles. He was a three time All Star. WAR=11.6
Gonzalez was reacquired by Pittsburgh for the same reason as Lyon and Martinez above. This trade was just a mess.
2007
Red Sox get: RP Eric Gagne
Gagne was 2-2 with a 6.75 ERA but had 22 strikeouts in 18.2 innings. WAR=-0.4
Rangers get: OF David Murphy, P Kason Gabbard, OF Engel Beltre
Murphy has been with the Rangers for four seasons so far and put up a slash line of .283/.342/.459/.802 with 46 home runs, 210 RBIs, and 30 stolen bases. WAR=5.3
Gabbard was 4-4 with a 5.14 ERA. WAR=0.0
Beltre is a top prospect in the Rangers system. WAR=0.0 (so far)
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