Your top “almost-a-Red-Sox”

John Marzano Olympic Hero

has fancy plans, and pants to match
Dope
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Apr 12, 2001
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In 1989 after Boggs’ scandal, there were daily rumors that he was being shipped somewhere. The best one that I can remember was Boggs to Atlanta for Gant and Glavine. Greenwell may have been a part of that trade too.

Boggs was also going to Cleveland for Brook Jacoby. To the Expos for Tim Wallach. And even to the Yankees for Mike Pagliarulo.

The Glavine and Gant rumor was the one I really wanted.
 

chawson

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Aug 1, 2006
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For the record, Ruben Amaro Jr himself said that the Hamels-to-Boston discussions were legit, but that Cherington wouldn’t include Betts or Swihart in such a deal. Obviously the former was the right choice, but in hindsight, Swihart and Owens for Hamels - which RAJ says was on the table - would have been a good deal for Boston. Justifiable at the time, though.
Looks like there was a time when Swihart might have fetched Patrick Corbin or Julio Teheran as well.
 

54thMA

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Aug 15, 2012
10,154
Westwood MA
Would Fingers have held up to the overuse that Zimmer would have subjected him to; unlike Bill Campbell? Campbell was great in 1977 and pretty much toast afterwards for that reason.
Maybe, maybe not.

I was at a game in 1977 about 20 rows from the field on the first base side and Campbell came in to pitch; he threw gas, I've never heard a catchers mitt pop like it did when he threw fastballs, I'll never forget that sound.
 

nighthob

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Jul 15, 2005
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Would Fingers have held up to the overuse that Zimmer would have subjected him to; unlike Bill Campbell? Campbell was great in 1977 and pretty much toast afterwards for that reason.
Maybe the two closers would have survived the Gerbil.
 

jaytftwofive

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Jan 20, 2013
1,182
Drexel Hill Pa.
Bernie Williams in 1998. If you believe the reports he was all but headed to Boston and then Stick Michael convinced Steinbrenner to keep him. The Yankee fans can correct me if I'm wrong.

The Sox had mediocre at best CF play for most of the 1990s--Lee Tinsley, Billy Hatcher, Darren Bragg--so he filled a need. And I always enjoyed watching Bernie play and felt losing him would have dealt a big blow to that Yankees dynasty.
Unless this has already been answered it was the off season of 1991-92. Michael was there then not in 98. Cashman was there. The rumor was Bernie Williams and Andy Pettite for Boggs. Michael smart enough backed off. I am a Red Sox fan as my per my Tony C user name.
 
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nvalvo

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Jul 16, 2005
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Rogers Park
Just imagine adding a .450+ OBP to the middle of that lineup when Ortiz returned.

You could do something like:

3B Youkilis R .958 OPS
DH Bonds L (2007 OPS 1.045)
LF Ramirez R .926 OPS
1B Ortiz L .877 OPS
2B Pedroia R .869 OPS
RF Drew L .927 OPS
C Varitek S .672 OPS
SS Lugo R .685 — or more ambitiously, Mike Lowell! R .798 OPS (or even Jed Lowrie or Alex Cora)
CF Crisp S .751 OPS or Ellsbury

That lineup might have scored 1000 runs. Bonds would have been a pretty amazing weapon off the bench, too.
 

Humphrey

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Aug 3, 2010
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Unless this has already been answered it was the off season of 1991-92. Michael was there then not in 98. Cashman was there. The rumor was Bernie Williams and Andy Pettite for Boggs. Michael smart enough backed off. I am a Red Sox fan as my per my Tony C user name.
Two different instances; the first was a possible trade the second was when Williams was a free agent. Mo Vaugn leaving, Williams not coming and Offerman coming instead all happened in late fall, 1998.
 

Mantush

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Jul 30, 2014
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Just imagine adding a .450+ OBP to the middle of that lineup when Ortiz returned.

You could do something like:

3B Youkilis R .958 OPS
DH Bonds L (2007 OPS 1.045)
LF Ramirez R .926 OPS
1B Ortiz L .877 OPS
2B Pedroia R .869 OPS
RF Drew L .927 OPS
C Varitek S .672 OPS
SS Lugo R .685 — or more ambitiously, Mike Lowell! R .798 OPS (or even Jed Lowrie or Alex Cora)
CF Crisp S .751 OPS or Ellsbury

That lineup might have scored 1000 runs. Bonds would have been a pretty amazing weapon off the bench, too.
That would have been amazing. This is how I thought it would shake out (since the article was dated July, so I'm thinking it would have been a mid-season signing):

3B Lowell
DH Ortiz
LF Bonds
1B Youkilis
2B Pedroia
RF Drew
CF Crisp or Ellsbury
C Varitek
SS Lugo

Having Bonds means that, when you trade Ramirez, you don't need to get a proven commodity like Bay. This makes it more stomachable to accept the Marlins offer of Stanton. Bay obviously had an amazing few years, but I'd trade that in a heartbeat to have Stanton manning LF.
 

ledsox

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Nov 14, 2005
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Mays played in the same park as the Sox minor league team. Barons/Black Barons.
I believe “can’t hit a curveball” was an excuse.
 

Humphrey

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Aug 3, 2010
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Are you sure you aren't thinking of Jackie Robinson, Sam Jethroe and Marvin Williams who the Sox gave a "try out?"
Whichever tryout prompted the "get those n*s off the field" shout from someone upstairs who's never been positively identified.
 

Humphrey

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Aug 3, 2010
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Mays played in the same park as the Sox minor league team. Barons/Black Barons.
I believe “can’t hit a curveball” was an excuse.
Pinky Higgins told Curt Gowdy that Jim Brown, who nearly won the Cotton Bowl for Syracuse all by himself; wasn't fast enough.
 

worm0082

Penbis
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Sep 19, 2002
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Didn’t Clemens nearly come back in 2004? I remember reading they pursued him hard and made a video presentation to him and all, but ultimately went to the Astros.
 

rockchalkredsox

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Oct 31, 2013
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Wasn't there talk of Andruw Jones coming to Boston at the '06 trade deadline?
There was a ton of chatter about Andruw coming to Boston. Bobby Abreu & Corey Lidle (restraining crass addition) went to MFY on 7/30 and Fenway was buzzing about Jones that day. My younger brothers came to Boston for the first time and we scored tickets to the 7/30 game thinking Schilling would throttle the Angels but he got shelled in between a pair of Ortiz walk-off games.
 

Rovin Romine

Johnny Rico
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Jul 14, 2005
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Miami (oh, Miami!)
In one sense, Andy Marte.

In another Appier. It was always right around the corner for years - and then the fear came that it would happen, as an injured ineffectual capstone on the Duke's career.
 

lexrageorge

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Jul 31, 2007
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There were a lot of rumors in the mid-to-late 80's about Dale Murphy coming to Boston. His contract was running out and there was talk of him being Boston's prime target in the free agency season. Turns out his career literally fell off a cliff at age 32, which IIRC was the season he would have ended up in Boston.
 

wiffleballhero

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Mar 28, 2009
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In the simulacrum
I end up hating all players on the Yankees just on principle, but Bernie Williams was the one. When the Sox were playing footsie with him that one off season I was psyched.
 

Al Zarilla

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Dec 8, 2005
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Pinky Higgins told Curt Gowdy that Jim Brown, who nearly won the Cotton Bowl for Syracuse all by himself; wasn't fast enough.
They should have put him in a room and made him watch an infinite loop film of Brown running away from every defensive halfback and safety in the league. Pro days of course.
 
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Al Zarilla

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Dec 8, 2005
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DiMaggio for Williams would have been interesting ..Jim Rice for Steve Bedrosian is another.
Ben Bradlee wrote in his book "The Kid" that Yawkey and Larry MacPhail almost had the Williams for DiMaggio deal done, but at the last minute Yawkey asked that the Yankees throw in "that little left fielder". He meant Yogi Berra. Deal nixed. DiMag had only 4 or 5 years left and Ted (my God) around 14. Dodged a bullet, especially since the Yankees never would have thrown in Berra.