Revisiting the 2005 Red Sox-Marlins trade
Now that shortstop leftfielder Hanley Ramirez is officially back with the Boston Red Sox, he has a chance to finish his career full-circle with the team that took a chance on the then 16-year-old in 2000.
The Dominican was signed by Dan Duquette and company as an amateur free agent on July 2, 2000, and he made his major league debut with the team on Sept. 20, 2005. He had a whopping total of two at-bats with the big club (striking out both times) before the end of the season and was subsequently traded in a seven-player mega-deal with the (Florida) Marlins in November. The Sox got three players in the transaction while the Marlins received four.
Of that group, only Ramirez and Anibal Sanchez remain in the league, while the remaining quintet had varying amounts of success and are now retired. Let’s take a look at a post-trade breakdown of the players involved in the deal and what the rest of their MLB careers had in store for them.
Sep 10, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Hanley Ramirez (13) singles and drives in a run in the sixth inning against the San Diego Padres at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports
HANLEY RAMIREZ (traded from Red Sox to Marlins)
Teams: Marlins (2006-2012), Dodgers (2012-2014)
Accomplishments: 2006 National League Rookie of the Year, 3-time All-Star (2008-2010), 2-time Silver Slugger award winner (2008-2009), led the league in hitting in 2009 (.342 AVG)
HanRam was a straight up stud from 2006-2012, combining his hitting, power, and speed to become arguably the best shortstop in the game. He’s posted a career .300 batting average and while he regressed the past couple of years in L.A., much of that has been due to injuries.
ANIBAL SANCHEZ (traded from Red Sox to Marlins)
Teams: Marlins (2006-2012), Tigers (2012-current)
Accomplishments: Pitched a no-hitter in 2006 (his rookie season), led the league in ERA in 2013 (2.57) and finished fourth in that year’s National League Cy Young vote
Sanchez, now 30 years old, has enjoyed a very successful career as a fairly consistent top-of-the-rotation arm. His career highlight is still the no-hitter he threw against the Diamondbacks during his rookie season, but his best overall season came in 2013 with the Tigers when he went 14-8 with a league-leading 2.57 earned run average.
HARVEY GARCIA (traded from Red Sox to Marlins)
Teams: Marlins (2007)
Accomplishment: He struck out 15 batters in 12.1 career innings pitched.
Alright that accomplishment listed above was a bit of a stretch, but sadly for Garcia, his career major league career both started and ended in 2007. The righty, who was actually drafted by the Marlins in 2000 (and released in 2002) bounced around the league after his brief stint seven years ago but never made it into another big league game. Most recently he was released by the Washington Nationals on March 30, 2011.
JESUS DELGADO (traded from Red Sox to Marlins)
Teams: Marlins (2008)
Accomplishment: He finished his career with 0 home runs allowed (in two innings of work.)
With even less of a MLB resume than Garcia, Delgado pitched in two games at the end of the 2008 season. He worked two innings, allowing one run on one hit, recording zero strikeouts and issuing three walks. He signed as a free agent with the Cincinnati Reds in January 2010 and was became a free agent in November the same year.
JOSH BECKETT (traded from Marlins to Red Sox)
Teams: Red Sox (2006-2012), Dodgers (2012-2014)
Accomplishments: 3-time All-Star (2007, 2009, 2011), 20-game winner in 2007, runner-up in 2007 AL Cy Young vote, 2007 ALCS MVP, 2007 World Series Champion
Beckett came over to Boston in the 2005 blockbuster to be an ace and he was – at least on an every other season basis. The Texas-born former flamethrower was outstanding for the Sox in 2007, 2009 and 2011, but was very underwhelming during the “even” years of his Boston tenure. Regardless of his often smug attitude and injury woes, the big righty was instrumental for the 2007 team and came up big when they needed it most.
After being part of an even more mountainous trade – the infamous Aug. 25, 2012 deal between the Sox and Dodgers – Beckett had a largely unsuccessful stint in La La Land. He announced his retirement just two months ago and will always be remembered as a clutch, big-game performer.
MIKE LOWELL (traded from Marlins to Red Sox)
Apr 4, 2014; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Red Sox former players Pedro Martinez , Mike Lowell and Jason Varitek carry out World Series trophies during pre-game ceremonies before the game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
Teams: Red Sox (2006-2010)
Accomplishments: 2007 All-Star, 2007 World Series Champion, 2007 World Series MVP
What can’t you say about Mike Lowell? The ultimate epitome of a class act, Lowell was the secondary acquisition for the Sox in the big trade but paid insurmountable dividends. After three straight all-star seasons with the Marlins from 2002 to 2004, his last year down south was a major struggle. Despite the .236 batting average and limited offensive production across the board in 2005, the Red Sox took a chance on the 1995 Yankees draftee.
His line of .324 AVG/21 HR/120 RBI earned him an underrated fifth place finish in the regular season MVP vote, but Lowell got the last laugh that year. Following up on Beckett’s stellar ALCS, the third baseman hit .400 with a home run and four runs batted in during the 2007 World Series sweep of the Colorado Rockies to earn the top honor. Following mixed results from 2008-2010 in Boston, Lowell retired after the 2010 season.
GUILLERMO MOTA (traded from Marlins to Red Sox)
Teams: Indians (2006), Mets (2006-2007), Brewers (2008), Dodgers (2009), Giants (2010-2012)
Accomplishments: 2010 World Series champion
Mota was certainly the most traveled of the group as he played for a total of seven different teams during his 15-year career. Amazingly, none of those teams include the Red Sox, as the relief pitcher was traded to Cleveland in part of the Coco Crisp trade prior to the 2006 season.