I have this unhealthy obsession reliving decisions of the past. A revisionist's history if you will. Maybe I have a glutton for punishment or maybe I'm one of those people that over analyzes every decision in life, thinking about what I could have done differently. Saying all of that, I can't help but watch the three remaining teams (Cubs, Indians, Dodgers) and think about how the Red Sox had help in creating all these teams.
2016 Los Angeles Dodgers. The team that the Red Sox probably have the smallest impact on is the Dodgers. The heart of the Dodgers line up is their first baseman, Adrian Gonzalez. We're all pretty familiar with how Gonzalez arrived with the Dodgers. The infamous 2012 "Nick Punto" trade unloaded the Red Sox of the financial burden of Carl Crawford and Josh Beckett. But in doing so, the Red Sox created a void at first base that they have struggled to fill since (more on that to come).
2016 Cleveland Indians. In 2012, Terry Francona was named manager for the Cleveland Indians. Francona was of course the manager of the 2004/2007 Red Sox World Series champions. Say what you want about Terry, but he might be the best Red Sox manager of our lifetimes. Francona brought leadership and playoff experience to a young Indians team. The Red Sox let him go after 2011.
But it doesn't stop there for the Indians. Perhaps the best weapon that the Indians have this year is Andrew Miller. The ALCS MVP had 4 appearances allowing no runs in 7 2/3 innings with 14 K's. Miller, as we all know, changed his career path with the Red Sox. He went from a struggling starter to a dominant middle reliever/closer. In 2014, he was traded to the Orioles for Eduardo Rodriguez. After the season, he signed with the Yankees at $12 million/year as the Red Sox deemed the contract too expensive. Miller was traded to the Yankees this year in what added to the new young core of New York and also gave the Indians the piece they needed to complete their team.
2016 Chicago Cubs. Where to start? Probably with the brain child himself, Theo Epstein. The Red Sox may not have had a choice in his departure or maybe the Lucchino relations did push him away, either way, Theo did great things for the Red Sox organization. And he is continuing his success with the Cubs.
The Cubs pitching staff has been one of the best in baseball this year. And two of the reasons it's been so good? Jon Lester and John Lackey. The Red Sox botched negotiations with Lester before ending up trading him for Yoenis Cespedes which ended up bringing Rick Porcello. Personally, I would rather Lester than Porcello, but in defense of the Red Sox, Lester was struggling when they made their initial low ball offer.
John Lackey was traded also, but the return has been subpar. Joe Kelly and Allen Craig have been less than stellar in Red Sox uniforms. Lackey may not have returned when his contract was over, but he did end up signing with the same team as Lester and Epstein.
One more Cubs piece. Their all-star first baseman, Anthony Rizzo. The Red Sox traded Casey Kelly, Anthony Rizzo, and Reymond Fuentes for Adrian Gonzalez. Rizzo would later be sent to the Cubs in one of Theo's deals.
A 2016 Red Sox team could have looked like:
1B - Anthony Rizzo
2B - Dustin Pedroia
SS - Xander
3B - Travis Shaw
DH - David Ortiz
RF - Mookie Betts
CF - JBJ
LF - ?
C - Leon
SP
Lester
Lackey
Buch
Wright
?
RP
Koji
Miller
Tazawa
Barnes
With Terry and Theo.
This post is filled with ifs and maybes and probably would not have shaken out this way. And there would be other drawbacks. For one, the Red Sox probably aren't in a position to draft Benintendi. But also, maybe the Red Sox don't trade Espinoza or Margot.
I had a surgical procedure today, so feel free to blame all this wishcasting on those meds and tell me how wrong this is. Still, it's interesting to look at the current playoff teams and think what if...
2016 Los Angeles Dodgers. The team that the Red Sox probably have the smallest impact on is the Dodgers. The heart of the Dodgers line up is their first baseman, Adrian Gonzalez. We're all pretty familiar with how Gonzalez arrived with the Dodgers. The infamous 2012 "Nick Punto" trade unloaded the Red Sox of the financial burden of Carl Crawford and Josh Beckett. But in doing so, the Red Sox created a void at first base that they have struggled to fill since (more on that to come).
2016 Cleveland Indians. In 2012, Terry Francona was named manager for the Cleveland Indians. Francona was of course the manager of the 2004/2007 Red Sox World Series champions. Say what you want about Terry, but he might be the best Red Sox manager of our lifetimes. Francona brought leadership and playoff experience to a young Indians team. The Red Sox let him go after 2011.
But it doesn't stop there for the Indians. Perhaps the best weapon that the Indians have this year is Andrew Miller. The ALCS MVP had 4 appearances allowing no runs in 7 2/3 innings with 14 K's. Miller, as we all know, changed his career path with the Red Sox. He went from a struggling starter to a dominant middle reliever/closer. In 2014, he was traded to the Orioles for Eduardo Rodriguez. After the season, he signed with the Yankees at $12 million/year as the Red Sox deemed the contract too expensive. Miller was traded to the Yankees this year in what added to the new young core of New York and also gave the Indians the piece they needed to complete their team.
2016 Chicago Cubs. Where to start? Probably with the brain child himself, Theo Epstein. The Red Sox may not have had a choice in his departure or maybe the Lucchino relations did push him away, either way, Theo did great things for the Red Sox organization. And he is continuing his success with the Cubs.
The Cubs pitching staff has been one of the best in baseball this year. And two of the reasons it's been so good? Jon Lester and John Lackey. The Red Sox botched negotiations with Lester before ending up trading him for Yoenis Cespedes which ended up bringing Rick Porcello. Personally, I would rather Lester than Porcello, but in defense of the Red Sox, Lester was struggling when they made their initial low ball offer.
John Lackey was traded also, but the return has been subpar. Joe Kelly and Allen Craig have been less than stellar in Red Sox uniforms. Lackey may not have returned when his contract was over, but he did end up signing with the same team as Lester and Epstein.
One more Cubs piece. Their all-star first baseman, Anthony Rizzo. The Red Sox traded Casey Kelly, Anthony Rizzo, and Reymond Fuentes for Adrian Gonzalez. Rizzo would later be sent to the Cubs in one of Theo's deals.
A 2016 Red Sox team could have looked like:
1B - Anthony Rizzo
2B - Dustin Pedroia
SS - Xander
3B - Travis Shaw
DH - David Ortiz
RF - Mookie Betts
CF - JBJ
LF - ?
C - Leon
SP
Lester
Lackey
Buch
Wright
?
RP
Koji
Miller
Tazawa
Barnes
With Terry and Theo.
This post is filled with ifs and maybes and probably would not have shaken out this way. And there would be other drawbacks. For one, the Red Sox probably aren't in a position to draft Benintendi. But also, maybe the Red Sox don't trade Espinoza or Margot.
I had a surgical procedure today, so feel free to blame all this wishcasting on those meds and tell me how wrong this is. Still, it's interesting to look at the current playoff teams and think what if...
Last edited: