Reflecting on Recent Red Sox Deals

The Florida Marlins come to Fenway Park tonight for the first of three games against the Red Sox. The arrival of the Marlins is causing a minor stir in Red Sox Nation because it will mark the return to Boston for one-time Red Sox uber-prospect Hanley Ramirez. Ramirez was the centerpiece of the trade that brought Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell to Boston following the 2005 season. Beckett and Lowell have were integral parts of the 2007 World Series champions while Ramirez has evolved into an MVP candidate. The return of Ramirez has got me to thinking about the trade history of the Red Sox since 2004. If I missed any big ones, please drop me a note in the comments section. Nomar Garciaparra and Matt Murton to the Cubs; Orlando Cabrera and Doug Mientkiewicz to the Red Sox This complicated deadline deal, consumated in July 2004, was controversial at the time (how could they trade Nomah?) but it supplied the necessary pieces for the Red Sox to win their first World Series in 86-years. Grade: A+ Hanley Ramirez, Anibal Sanchez, Jesus Delgado, and Harvey Garcia to the Marlins; Josh Beckett, Mike Lowell, and Guillermo Mota to the Red Sox This is the epitome of how both teams can benefit from a trade. Beckett and Lowell helped lead the Sox to the 2007 World Series while Ramirez won the 2006 N.L. Rookie of the Year and was an All-Star in 2008. Sanchez tossed a no-hitter in '06 but has battled arm problems. Grade: A+ Andy Marte, Guillermo Mota, and Kelly Shoppach to the Indians; Coco Crisp, Josh Bard, and David Riske to the Red Sox This trade was a big piece of Epstein's overhaul of the Red Sox following the 2005 season. The Sox had lost Johnny Damon to the Yankees and had traded Edgar Renteria to the Braves for Marte. They were in need of a centerfielder/lead-off hitter and thought they had found their prize in Crisp. Crisp never lived up to the hype at the plate but he was an exceptional defensive centerfielder. He ended up platooning in center with Jacoby Ellsbury and was traded to the Royals this past winter for impressive relief pitcher Ramon Ramirez. Bard was a disaster catching Tim Wakefield's knuckleball and was replaced in early May by Doug Mirabelli. He returned to the Sox this winter but was released in spring training. Riske was a complete failure in the bullpen. Marte never panned out to be the power-hitting third baseman that many claimed he would be when he was a Braves prospect. Shoppach has turned out to be a solid backup catcher for the Indians. Grade: B Engel Beltre, David Murphy, and Kason Gabbard to the Rangers; Eric Gagne to the Red Sox You may not remember this but the acquisition of Gagne was such big news that the trade shared the headlines in Boston with the Celtics trade for Kevin Garnett. Gagne, the 2003 N.L. Cy Young winner with the Dodgers, was supposed to add a devistating righthy to complement lefty Hideki Okajima to set-up Jonathan Papelbon. It never worked out that way as Gagne battled control problems and made very little positive impact. The Sox won the World Series in spite of his contributions. Beltre is in the Rangers minor league system. Murphy starts in leftfield for the Rangers and would look great as a fourth outfielder in Boston with the questionable health of J.D. Drew and Rocco Baldelli. Gabbard recently was released and re-signed with the Red Sox. Grade: B- Manny Ramirez to the Dodgers; Craig Hansen and Brandon Moss to the Pirates; Jason Bay to the Red Sox Ahh, the last days of "Manny Being Manny." With his agent, Scott Boras, hoping to score of Ramirez' potential free agency, Manny began to act more foolish than ever, forcing Epstein to move the mercurial slugger. Ramirez led the Dodgers to the NLCS and a fantastic start to the 2009 season before violating baseball's drug policy and receiving a 50-game suspension. Moss and Hansen have made very little impact with the Pirates. Bay has been a great addition to the Red Sox. He helped the team make it to Game 7 of the 2008 ALCS and is the team's leading homerun hitter so far in 2009. With Bay eligible for free agency after the '09 season, Red Sox Nation is waiting for the announcement that he has re-signed with Boston. Grade: B+ Coco Crisp to the Royals; Ramon Ramirez to the Red Sox Crisp was made expendable in Boston because of the emergence of Ellsbury. He is a Gold Glove caliber outfielder and runs the bases but he just doesn't hit well enough to start for a contender. Ramirez has shown flashes of brilliance in his role as a set-up man in the Boston bullpen. Up until last week -- when he allowed back-to-back homers to Johnny Damon and Mark Teixeira in a Red Sox win over the Yankees and a ninth inning homer to Ryan Howard in an extra innings Red Sox win over the Phillies -- Ramirez was nearly unhittable. The jury is still out on this trade but if Ramirez continues to pitch well, the Sox will be the clear winners of this move. Grade: Incomplete Michael Bowden, Manny Delcarmen, Nick Hagadone, Josh Reddick, and Jed Lowrie to the Marlins; Hanley Ramirez to the Red Sox Some dreams die harder than others.