After Babe Ruth ... who?

[mwonow]

If the question was, "which of these guys did you love the most?" the answer for me is Looey, very easily. He was just so much fun, and great as well.

If the question is, "which departure got you so angry with the player that you'll never forgive them in your heart?" then Clemens. He was every bit as great as those numbers posted above suggest - but still, my favorite memory of him is of him getting destryed by the Sox (and Pedro!) in a playoff game.

If the question included an "LOL" element, Boggs wins. I loved him here, then he went to NY, sucked, sobbed his way around a WS celebration on a horse, and then tried to shop his HoF cap to TB as part of a last-gasp contract.

My vote, though, was Lyle. If the Sox had decided that a relief ace was a tad more vauable than a no-bat all-glove 1B, we wouldn't have waited until 2004...

Yeah, maybe. I'm not sure that OF was better defensively. That would be the only other option.

FTR, old old old timers might put in a word for Speaker, Lewis and Hooper
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Outfield

 

[Philip Jeff Frye]

Clemens was bad but I never identified with him personally like I did with Manny, Ortiz and Pedro. If any of them had jumped to NY, I would have done something drastic.

That's exactly what it felt like for El Tiante to join the MFYs, except we hadn't won any championships.

 

[John Marzano Olympic Hero]

I thnk if they had hired Duquette a year sooner, Boggs goes nowhere. Lou Gorman was an old school guy and nothing demonstrated he was at the end of the line as a useful evaluator/builder of a roster than that 92-93 off-season where he let Boggs walk away so he could sign a clearly past-his-prime Andre Dawson instead. I also wouldn't discount Gorman being a stubborn son of a bitch who let Boggs go in order to promote Scott Cooper so he could be vindicated for choosing to trade Bagwell instead of Cooper for Larry Anderson. There were rumors that the Astros asked for Cooper and Gorman offered Bagwell as an alternative thinking Cooper the better prospect.

Boggs brought a lot of baggage and a lot of embarrassment to the Red Sox back in the late 80s/early 90s. His Margo Adams affair was everywhere and the Sox having a very old and conservative ownership (JRY was alive for a lot of this time, but Harrington was old school too) quickly grew to dislike Boggs. They were just waiting to get rid of him and the numbers that he put up in 1992 were just an excuse to send him on his way.

Boggs was a dead man walking the minute that Delta Force stuff started coming out in the press.

BTW, I just checked baseball-ref and the Yankees actually gave Boggs a raise after his 1992 season ($2.7m to $2.95m), which is interesting. I thought that they got him for a song, but he signed a very lucrative five-year contract with them.

 

[JM3]

That De La Rosa guy is doing pretty well too. This trade may take awhile to judge. People want instant gratification though.

That guy hits an impressive # of batters. Very intimidating.

 

[Bowhemian]

Clemens for me. To this day if someone throws something at/to me with a little heat on it, my standard line is "hey, take it easy, Clemens".

 

[wiffleballhero]

Damon didn’t bother me terribly. The Sox didn’t want to pay him, and the Yankees had every right to sign him. Winning in 2007 validated most of their post 2004 decisions.

I voted Tiant, and however disappointed I was in the Damon thing, this is the right take on it. Thinking about Damon's dad saying it was the biggest mistake since letting Ruth go to the Yankees always gives me a laugh.

I find them all irritating because it has been mostly a one way street from the Red Sox to the Yankees. I’m guessing Yankees fans watching Cone, Wells, or Henderson on the Sox at the end of their careers wasn’t the same as a Boggs, Clemens, or Tiant.

You know, the one shot where I really thought the sox were going to stick it to them was in that little period of playing footsie with Bernie Williams. Lucy and the football.

 

[BaseballJones]

You know, the one shot where I really thought the sox were going to stick it to them was in that little period of playing footsie with Bernie Williams. Lucy and the football.

Makes me wonder who the best player Boston's ever had that was a former Yankee. Mike Stanley did pretty well for Boston after coming over from NY. Don Baylor too. But there really hasn't, to my recollection, been a guy who played for the Yankees and then came to Boston and was great for a substantial period of time.

 

[Cesar Crespo]

Makes me wonder who the best player Boston's ever had that was a former Yankee. Mike Stanley did pretty well for Boston after coming over from NY. Don Baylor too. But there really hasn't, to my recollection, been a guy who played for the Yankees and then came to Boston and was great for a substantial period of time.

Rickey Henderson. Well, minus the playing great for Boston part.

With that, Mike Lowell probably.

 

[Yelling At Clouds]

Makes me wonder who the best player Boston's ever had that was a former Yankee. Mike Stanley did pretty well for Boston after coming over from NY. Don Baylor too. But there really hasn't, to my recollection, been a guy who played for the Yankees and then came to Boston and was great for a substantial period of time.

Does Mike Lowell count?

 

[BaseballJones]

Rickey Henderson. Well, minus the playing great for Boston part.

He didn't do anything for Boston. But perhaps I wasn't as clear as I meant to be...I don't mean a great player coming to Boston from NY. I mean a guy who came from NY to Boston and proceeded to play many years of high level baseball for the Sox.

 

[wiffleballhero]

Makes me wonder who the best player Boston's ever had that was a former Yankee. Mike Stanley did pretty well for Boston after coming over from NY. Don Baylor too. But there really hasn't, to my recollection, been a guy who played for the Yankees and then came to Boston and was great for a substantial period of time.

Do you count Mike Lowell?

 

[E5 Yaz]

Does Mike Lowell count?

First guy I thought of for this question. There's probably someone pre-67 that we'd have to research

 

[wiffleballhero]

Does Mike Lowell count?

Dude, I don't pay for high speed internet!

 

[Cesar Crespo]

He wasn't NY to Boston.

David Cone?

 

[E5 Yaz]

He wasn't NY to Boston.

David Cone?

And Clemens wasn't Boston to NY ... Lowell fits in the spirit of the question

 

[BaseballJones]

I mean, that we have to go to Lowell - who played 8 games for the Yankees in his career, back in 1998, and then spent 7 in Florida with the Marlins before coming to Boston in 2006 - for a good answer...kinda tells us that there haven't been many.

 

[BaseballJones]

And Clemens wasn't Boston to NY ... Lowell fits in the spirit of the question

Correct. BUT....Clemens was a STUD for the Sox for a LONG time. Lowell wasn't anything more than a prospect for NY and was basically inconsequential for them. Huge difference.

 

[E5 Yaz]

Correct. BUT....Clemens was a STUD for the Sox for a LONG time. Lowell wasn't anything more than a prospect for NY and was basically inconsequential for them. Huge difference.

True ... but that wasn't the point i was responding to

 

[Cesar Crespo]

Correct. BUT....Clemens was a STUD for the Sox for a LONG time. Lowell wasn't anything more than a prospect for NY and was basically inconsequential for them. Huge difference.

So... David Cone? Again, one year. There isn't really anyone if you include playing well for both teams for a stretch of time.

I found a list.

https://www.mlb.com/news/players-who-played-for-yankees-and-red-sox

 

[BaseballJones]

True ... but that wasn't the point i was responding to

Agreed, which is why I said "Correct" at first. I was just pointing out that it makes total sense that even though both Clemens and Lowell spent time elsewhere before going to the archival team, it feels completely different for a lot of obvious and good reasons. But yes, technically it fits the question.

 

[BaseballJones]

So... David Cone? Again, one year. There isn't really anyone if you include playing well for both teams for a stretch of time.

I found a list.

https://www.mlb.com/news/players-who-played-for-yankees-and-red-sox

Cone was obviously a great pitcher, but he wasn't much for the Red Sox. One season at age 38. 9-7, 4.31 era.

I still don't think we have a guy who went from NY to Boston that played a substantial length of time with Boston at a high level. I think Lowell right now is the leader in the clubhouse, and that's just due to a technicality, given that basically nobody really thinks of Lowell as a Yankee (only 8 games in his career with NY), and that 8 years separated his (brief) time in NY with his stint in Boston. But still...technically correct.

 

[moretsyndrome]

I voted Tiant on impulse but give me more time to think about it, say a couple of years, and the answer is probably Devers.

I mean, I laughed, but that's not funny. At all.

 

[Philip Jeff Frye]

David Wells?

In addition to Clemens, Boggs, Damon, etc... its pretty disgusting to look at the Hall of Famers who went from Boston to New York (where they became Hall of Famers) - Ruth (obviously), Herb Pennock, Red Ruffing, Waite Hoyt.

 

[BaseballJones]

David Wells?

In addition to Clemens, Boggs, Damon, etc... its pretty disgusting to look at the Hall of Famers who went from Boston to New York (where they became Hall of Famers) - Ruth (obviously), Herb Pennock, Red Ruffing, Waite Hoyt.

Yep. It's been an almost exclusively one-way street.

 

[E5 Yaz]

Refsnyder?

 

[Cesar Crespo]

Cone was obviously a great pitcher, but he wasn't much for the Red Sox. One season at age 38. 9-7, 4.31 era.

I still don't think we have a guy who went from NY to Boston that played a substantial length of time with Boston at a high level. I think Lowell right now is the leader in the clubhouse, and that's just due to a technicality, given that basically nobody really thinks of Lowell as a Yankee (only 8 games in his career with NY), and that 8 years separated his (brief) time in NY with his stint in Boston. But still...technically correct.

He is. He's in my initial post. It's a boring answer though. But there is no good for Yankees, good for Sox. There's a lot of good for Sox, good for Yankees.

While they don't count, I'm pretty sure there is someone like Garett Whitlock who didn't have a Yankees career but had a really good career for the Sox. I wonder who the best player would be.

Kinda in the way that Anthony Rizzo was never a Red Sox player... but he was Red Sox property.


So who was the best Red Sox player who was ever property of the Yankees? Feels like I'm missing some obvious answers.

edit: Maybe it's still Mike Lowell, I dunno.

 

[chawson]

Makes me wonder who the best player Boston's ever had that was a former Yankee. Mike Stanley did pretty well for Boston after coming over from NY. Don Baylor too. But there really hasn't, to my recollection, been a guy who played for the Yankees and then came to Boston and was great for a substantial period of time.

The answer here is Nathan Eovaldi, I think. There’s of course 2018, but he’s been really terrific for us particularly against the Yankees. He’s held them to an overall .247/.289/.418 (.304 wOBA) line in 16 regular season games, with a bunch of quality starts and only two clunkers — a meaningless one in 2020, and another last September that he immediately erased by beating Cole in the WC game.

There’s a slim chance the 2022 Sox might have four ex-Yankees in its rotation at the same time (Eovaldi, Hill, Whitlock, Paxton). Wonder if that’s happened before.

 

[Daniel_Son]

Makes me wonder who the best player Boston's ever had that was a former Yankee. Mike Stanley did pretty well for Boston after coming over from NY. Don Baylor too. But there really hasn't, to my recollection, been a guy who played for the Yankees and then came to Boston and was great for a substantial period of time.

Does Whitlock count?

 

[BaseballJones]

Eovaldi is a good one. But again, just shows you how weak this pool of players is, because yeah he's been solid for Boston, but not *great*.

Eovaldi with Boston: 24-18, 4.15 era, 112 era+, 1.28 whip, 9.2 k/9

Pretty darned good. Plus 2018 yeah. But if that's really the best we have, compared to the guys who have become HOFers for the Yankees after being with Boston...ugh.

 

[BaseballJones]

Does Whitlock count?

I'd say no. He never played for the Yankees.

 

[Cesar Crespo]

The answer here is Nathan Eovaldi, I think. There’s of course 2018, but he’s been really terrific for us particularly against the Yankees. He’s held them to an overall .247/.289/.418 (.304 wOBA) line in 16 regular season games, with a bunch of quality starts and only two clunkers — a meaningless one in 2020, and another last September that he immediately erased by beating Cole in the WC game.

There’s a slim chance the 2022 Sox might have four ex-Yankees in its rotation at the same time (Eovaldi, Hill, Whitlock, Paxton). Wonder if that’s happened before.

Eovaldi has 6.2 WAR in 5 years vs Lowell's 10.6 in those same 5.

 

[Van Everyman]

Cone pitched incredibly well in that near perfecto that Jurassic Carl ruined for Mike Mussina. IIRC he gave up a single run over 8 innings.

Fake edit: Not only that but Loomer was the goat of that game by booting a ball in the 8th inning when the game was scoreless. Then he made the second out of the top of the ninth.

 

[The Talented Allen Ripley]

Mike Torrez.

I shudder typing that, but he might be the best answer, which definitely says something.

 

[pedro1918]

This doesn't quite fit the criteria, but my favorite "ex-Yankee to the Red Sox" is Tony Armas, Jr. He came to the Red Sox with Mike Stanley in August 1997. A couple of months later he was the PTBNL in the Carl Pavano trade the Expos.

It might be apocryphal, but I remember hearing a story at the time that he was the prospect the Expos wanted for Pedro. So that worked out pretty well.

 

[chawson]

Eovaldi has 6.2 WAR in 5 years vs Lowell's 10.6 in those same 5.

It’s closer by fWAR, which is a better tool for evaluating pitchers anyway. Eovaldi’s 7.1 (including a 60-game season) in four full Red Sox seasons (half of 2018 and half of 2022). Lowell is at 8.7 fWAR over five.

 

[moondog80]

We did Jedi mind trick them into signing Carl Pavano (in my interpretation of the events).

 

[Cesar Crespo]

It’s closer by fWAR, which is a better tool for evaluating pitchers anyway. Eovaldi’s 7.1 (including a 60-game season) in four full Red Sox seasons (half of 2018 and half of 2022). Lowell is at 8.7 fWAR over five.

The fact he's in contention shows how one sided it is.

The answer was close to being Bernie Williams. Well, unless you think he drove up the price using the Red Sox.

https://www.nytimes.com/1998/11/26/sports/baseball-yankees-capitulate-keeping-williams-in-87.5-million-pact.html

edit: Bernie Williams was a lot better than I remember him being on that contract, though they kept him at CF way too long.

 

[8slim]

Boggs brought a lot of baggage and a lot of embarrassment to the Red Sox back in the late 80s/early 90s. His Margo Adams affair was everywhere and the Sox having a very old and conservative ownership (JRY was alive for a lot of this time, but Harrington was old school too) quickly grew to dislike Boggs. They were just waiting to get rid of him and the numbers that he put up in 1992 were just an excuse to send him on his way.

Boggs was a dead man walking the minute that Delta Force stuff started coming out in the press.

BTW, I just checked baseball-ref and the Yankees actually gave Boggs a raise after his 1992 season ($2.7m to $2.95m), which is interesting. I thought that they got him for a song, but he signed a very lucrative five-year contract with them.

A documentary about Boggs would be really interesting. He was such a weird guy when he played. Yet the times he did media he was charismatic (I'm thinking about his famous appearance on Cheers).

I also recall that he was tagged as a selfish ballplayer by some of the media. Eddie Andelman and the Sports Huddle crew used to rip on him incessantly, claiming that all he cared about was hitting singles.

 

[moondog80]

Makes me wonder who the best player Boston's ever had that was a former Yankee. Mike Stanley did pretty well for Boston after coming over from NY. Don Baylor too. But there really hasn't, to my recollection, been a guy who played for the Yankees and then came to Boston and was great for a substantial period of time.

Baylor did help the Sox go to a WS. But what a weird trade (for Mike Easler) -- two teams that both hope to contend, two rivals even, just swapping DHs with a very similar profile. No other considerations, just a one-for-one swap. You'd never see that today. Was it a matter of RH Baylor/LH Easler both being better fits in the new park? I remember Baylor was thought to be a leader, but maybe he was a personality clash with the Yankees clubhouse (he got along great in Boston, IIRC)?

 

[jwbasham84]

Damon for me... When he went into free agency all my Yankee friends trolled me that they would sign him. I said "NO WAY" he said he would never play for you... It took years for them to shut up about it. Still can't believe it signed there.. I hate Beni going there, but it's a trade. He didn't choose them he was sent there. Damon choosing the Yanks HURT!

 

[Rovin Romine]

We did Jedi mind trick them into signing Carl Pavano (in my interpretation of the events).

Former Sox (or almost Sox) that fizzled with the Yanks:
- Ellsbury.
- Pavano.
- Jose Conterias?

 

[The Talented Allen Ripley]

Baylor did help the Sox go to a WS. But what a weird trade (for Mike Easler) -- two teams that both hope to contend, two rivals even, just swapping DHs with a very similar profile. No other considerations, just a one-for-one swap. You'd never see that today. Was it a matter of RH Baylor/LH Easler both being better fits in the new park? I remember Baylor was thought to be a leader, but maybe he was a personality clash with the Yankees clubhouse (he got along great in Boston, IIRC)?

I think that was pretty much the reason.

 

[moondog80]

I also recall that he was tagged as a selfish ballplayer by some of the media. Eddie Andelman and the Sports Huddle crew used to rip on him incessantly, claiming that all he cared about was hitting singles.

It would drive me nuts every time Eddie would say that Boggs "clogged the bases". The implication that a guy on 1B would have scored but for Boggs being on 2B and running so slowly that he could only make it to 3B is so absurd that I think maybe that's not what he meant, but what else could he possibly have been saying? I mean, maybe once he misread a flyball and something close that happened, but...he was not without his charm, but I don't miss Eddie Andelman.

 

[Oil Can Dan]

Damon didn’t bother me terribly. The Sox didn’t want to pay him, and the Yankees had every right to sign him. Winning in 2007 validated most of their post 2004 decisions.

This is my thought too. Why hate on Damon when it was Boston that didn't want him back? And by the time he left we had exorcised the demon that was NYY anyway.

I voted Boggs. He was my guy in the 80's.

 

[RIrooter09]

Clemens was by far the most impactful. Gotta be him.

 

[John Marzano Olympic Hero]

A documentary about Boggs would be really interesting. He was such a weird guy when he played. Yet the times he did media he was charismatic (I'm thinking about his famous appearance on Cheers).

I also recall that he was tagged as a selfish ballplayer by some of the media. Eddie Andelman and the Sports Huddle crew used to rip on him incessantly, claiming that all he cared about was hitting singles.

Yeah. The prevailing "wisdom" was that Boggs would get his two hits in the first and fourth innings and take the rest of the game off. A lot of times, they'd point to Boggs K'ing against Eckersley in the bottom of the ninth in Game 1 (I think) of the 1988 ALCS with the tying run on base. No one (other than Gibson) was touching Eck that year, but that didn't matter. Also, people thought that his 1987 season where he hit 24 homers proved that he could hit homers when he wanted to, but was more interested in singles, doubles and leading the league in average. Also, the amount of walks he took (which was a lot) drove people nuts too.

IDK, baseball fans were kinda dumb back then.

 

[moretsyndrome]

I must have been blacked out when Youks was in the Bronx. I had to hit Google images just to confirm.

 

[RedOctober3829]

We know what @TheoShmeo's answer would be.

Wow, whatever happened to him? He hasn't posted here in almost 3 years.

 

[bosockboy]

Wow, whatever happened to him? He hasn't posted here in almost 3 years.

Must’ve went the way of Rudy Pemberton.

 

[The Talented Allen Ripley]

Wow, whatever happened to him? He hasn't posted here in almost 3 years.

I think he signed with NYYFans.com. The irony.