Your top “almost-a-Red-Sox”
- Thread starter Yelling At Clouds
- Start date
When Mike Mussina hit free agency (I think it was '02?) I was just so pissed at having Pedro and then garbage. It seemed so obvious that Mussina filled a need that could have brought the WS to Boston. When he signed with the Yankees it was another kick-in-the-ballz. I quickly learned to hate Mussina and Derek Lowe really emerged that year as a great starter. Bad management and a very good Yankees team still couldn't get the Sox over the hump.
I think Realmuto was a SoSH fantasy more than anything else. I recall that when he was finally put on the block by the Marlins, it was Philly and the Yankees that were the main players in acquiring him. And the Sox didn't have enough to match them anyway.
Maybe there’s an all-rumor team we can assemble - open to suggestions (I remember the Duquette era onwards)
C - ??? (McCann is the best I can think of)
1B - Helton
2B - Alfonzo or Jose Vidro
SS - A-Rod
3B - ??? (was Kingman actually rumored?)
LF - Puckett
CF - B. Williams
RF - Beltran
DH - Sosa
SP1 - J. Santana
SP2 - Halladay
SP3 - Appier
SP4 - J. Vazquez
SP5 - Cole Hamels
CL - Fingers
MGR - F. Alou
C - ??? (McCann is the best I can think of)
1B - Helton
2B - Alfonzo or Jose Vidro
SS - A-Rod
3B - ??? (was Kingman actually rumored?)
LF - Puckett
CF - B. Williams
RF - Beltran
DH - Sosa
SP1 - J. Santana
SP2 - Halladay
SP3 - Appier
SP4 - J. Vazquez
SP5 - Cole Hamels
CL - Fingers
MGR - F. Alou
Last edited:
It was prior to the '01 season, because the "consolation prize" when he went to the Yankees was Manny. I remember being pissed at Duquette for panic-buying and, in my view, overpaying for Manny.
Soon after, Gammons wrote an unflattering column that was pretty obvious about Mussina. IIRC, SoSH then dubbed Mussina "The Bronx Bigot."
Sox wanted him, but almost as important was keeping Santana away from the MFY. At the risk of repeating the consigliere story: when Theo saw he wasn't getting Santana, Theo began 'advising' the Mets behind the scenes on how to land Santana over the MFY.
https://www.si.com/mlb/2018/04/17/shohei-ohtani-boston-red-sox-almost-signed-high-school
Ohtani was apparently down to the Dodgers and Red Sox coming out of high school.
Jackie Robinson was given a tryout in 1945, but would not have been signed in any manner by the ownership at the time.
Bernie Williams nearly signed in '98 for 7/90mil.
Ohtani was apparently down to the Dodgers and Red Sox coming out of high school.
Jackie Robinson was given a tryout in 1945, but would not have been signed in any manner by the ownership at the time.
Bernie Williams nearly signed in '98 for 7/90mil.
What if the two million to Finley for Fingers and Joe Rudi would have stood up? They were actually in uniform for the Red Sox that night and could have played. According to Gammons Fingers warmed up in the bullpen during the game. If they had played that night would Bowie Kuhn have dared to overturn the deal?
At the height of the Margo Adams story, I remember Bob Lobel reporting the Sox were going to pick from a list of Braves pitchers in exchange for Wade Boggs. IIRC, it was Smoltz, Avery, Mercker, and Glavine. The irony, of course, is that the first three eventually did end up here, well after their primes. The fourth is my "almost a Sox" pick.
P.S. - Just typing Margo Adams and Bob Lobel caused additional liver spots to break out on my hands. Damn, I am getting old.
I don't consider Willie Mays, Jackie Robinson or any other black player from the 40s or 50s (heck, maybe even the 60s) "almost-a-Red-Sox" because there wasn't a chance in hell Red Sox management would have signed them.
And in the year 2021, it still pisses me off.
And in the year 2021, it still pisses me off.
Yes, this. I've always been a diehard Sox fan, but Puckett was by far my favorite player when I was a kid. I recall that he was thisclose to signing with the Sox as a FA in the early 90s, but ultimately decided to stay with the Twins.
This was more likely local media hype at a time when the Red Sox couldn't seem to attract any free agents, but I seem to recall a lot of buzz about Bob Welch after his Cy Young year in 1990. John Dennis of Channel 7 called the guy at his home and Welch hung up on him (this was played on the air). The Red Sox went on to sign Matt Young and Danny Darwin instead.
Danny Darwin & Bob Welch put up very comparable stats over the next 4 years years.
Of course, Welch decided to retire after '94 at 37 & Darwin decided to keep trudging along until he was 42 in '98.
& Matt Young had that 1 game...
Back during my adolescent fanhood, I was convinced that if we could trade for Mark Langston we'd win a World Series.
Willie Mays and or Jackie Robinson were never ever going to be signed by the Yawkey ownership group. Yankee integrated the team kicking and screaming. Plus Pinky Higgins and Joe Cronin avowed racists had Yawkey's ear at the time.
Does that really matter in this exercise? It's about almost Red Sox and despite it being unlikely they'd be signed, they were in Fenway for tryouts. That's as "almost" as some of the guys mentioned that were only the subject of trade rumors.
I was really bummed about losing out on Puckett, too. He may have been my favorite non-RS player (along with Tony Gwynn). Those early 90s Sox team were bad, though, so I doubt that he would have put them over the top. Would have been fun to see him hit in Fenway, though.
The Red Sox stunk that year, not sure Rudi of Fingers would have saved them; 1977 and 1978, whole different ballgame.
Being a Red Sox fan pre 2004 was an exercise in futility and just proved Einstein to be correct regarding insanity.
I'd like to think going through all the nonsense made me appreciate 2004, 2007, 2013 and 2018 a lot more, but I think the reality is all it did was shave years off of my life.
Apparently they offered Puckett 5/$35m & he took 5/$30m to stay in MN.
Tony Gwynn was by far my favorite non-RS, followed by Craig Biggio.
As far as I can tell, the closest Biggio ever came to the Sox was playing in the Cape Cod League for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox, & of course playing in college with Mo Vaughn & John Valentin @ Seton Hall.
He was drafted 22nd overall by the Astros in 1987 & went on to spend the next 20 years there.
The Red Sox didn't draft until 26th where they acquired Reggie Harris, who actually pitched for the Red Sox in 1996 after stints with the A's (who Rule V'd him from the Sox) & the Wei Chuan Dragons.
After signing as a free agent, Reggie Harris pitched 4 games for the Red Sox in '96, allowing 7 hits, 5 walks & 6 earned runs in 4 1/3 innings.
Saga is an understatement. Prime case study for every Journalism 101 lecture on the importance of confirming independent sources. I can report the angst on Royal Rooters of Red Sox Nation was insane, as was the amount of time I spent doing photo illustrations for Boston Dirt Dogs. The eventual gut-punch was right up there with the '86 WS.
I guess Kirby didn't need the $. In 1989 he became the 1st player ever to get $3m/year when he signed for 3/$9m.
His GM, Andy McPhail, noted at the time it was a bargain anyway due to escalating salaries & that he could have gotten more if he waited until the offseason.
It counts as "almost a Red Sox" in my book because they could have been signed.
The fact that Yawkey was a racist and the manager was too certainly made it a non issue, but having Willie Mays ready to sign counts.
The racist past of the Red Sox franchise (certainly not the only one in MLB) is a dark mark and like someone said upthread, it pisses me off to no end. Just run a what if with arguably one of the top 5 baseball players of all time with the Sox
I forgot all about this! I would probably rather have him than that other first baseman they almost signed from around that time.
The deGrom thing is annoying to read about, but most people found out about it by reading about it many years after the fact, and nobody was coveting him back when the trade may or may not have nearly gone down. To me, that’s a different experience than something like the Santana where you’re following it in real time. YMMV, of course.
Salary 1sts...
1922 Babe Ruth $50k
1947 Hank Greenberg $100k
1979 Nolan Ryan $1m
1982 George Foster $2m
1989 Kirby Puckety $3m
1990 Jose Canseco $4m
1991 Roger Clemens $5m
1992 Ryne Sandberg $7m
1996 Ken Griffey, Jr. $8m
1996 Albert Belle $11m
1997 Pedro Martinez $12m
1998 Mike Piazza $13m
1998 Kevin Brown $15m
2000 Carlos Delgado $17m
2000 Manny Ramirez $20m
ARod was 1st to $21m, $25m, $27m, $28m & $33m
& I believe Trout has $34m-$37m.
1922 Babe Ruth $50k
1947 Hank Greenberg $100k
1979 Nolan Ryan $1m
1982 George Foster $2m
1989 Kirby Puckety $3m
1990 Jose Canseco $4m
1991 Roger Clemens $5m
1992 Ryne Sandberg $7m
1996 Ken Griffey, Jr. $8m
1996 Albert Belle $11m
1997 Pedro Martinez $12m
1998 Mike Piazza $13m
1998 Kevin Brown $15m
2000 Carlos Delgado $17m
2000 Manny Ramirez $20m
ARod was 1st to $21m, $25m, $27m, $28m & $33m
& I believe Trout has $34m-$37m.
I have a dim recollection of Gaylord Perry nearly being traded to the Red Sox for years on end in the early 70’s.
Yeah, I was gonna post on this and saw yours so we both remember the same thing - constant rumors of him to Boston although I don't know how close this came to happening. I talked to him at an autograph signing years ago and mentioned these rumors and his face lit up with a big smile and said "I would've loved to have played there (at Fenway for the Sox)". Just that reaction suggested he wanted it to happen
"Bernie Williams nearly signed in '98 for 7/90mil. " - my memory of this is that Williams totally played the Sox to up the ante and never had much intent to play here
Looks like Rice's contract broke Foster's record for average value, but he wasn't the 1st to $2m/year.
https://www.nytimes.com/1985/02/14/sports/red-sox-sign-rice-to-record-contract.html
Going in to 2005 I really wanted Beltre (the idea that he might play SS was a fun wrinkle that came up later, even if it was a bridge too far). In the following years I was ever hopeful that the Sox would be able to send Lowell to the Ms and get him back.
I loved him when the Sox had him for that great year, but didn’t see them extending him, but man if the had: Youks stays at 1B instead of moving back to 3B to accommodate AGon, and they likely keep Rizzo.
I loved him when the Sox had him for that great year, but didn’t see them extending him, but man if the had: Youks stays at 1B instead of moving back to 3B to accommodate AGon, and they likely keep Rizzo.
Cafardo had a hard on for Cole Hamels. Difficult to tell what was a real possibility and what was made up.
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.
Right! Thanks. I do recall feeling like Manny was needed as the middle of the order bat to replace Vaughn in order to stay just competitive but more than him we needed a great "no.2" behind Pedro and without it... we were just going to stay borderline Wild Card chasers, likely to get bounced out in the first round by Cleveland.
Rumors swirled about the Sox acquiring 30/30 man Ron Gant for years. Would have loved to see him rattle the wall at Fenway.
In 1977 Rollie Fingers pitched 132 innings (8 fewer than Bill Campbell) and led the league with 78 appearances (vs 69 for Campbell). Of course, innings and appearances alone do not tell the entire story, but I don’t have the time now to dig deeper into the 2 pitchers’ usage patterns that season.
it also should be noted that in 1976, Fingers pitched 134 innings in 70 games, while Campbell pitched 167 innings in 78 games, and we can’t pin that on Zimmer.
Wow, that's hilarious. I'm thinking good ole' Nick Cafardo leaked this rumor from beyond the grave...
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.