Red Sox: What if the Sox never acquired Carl Everett?
What if the Carl Everett trade never happened? What if the Sox had held onto Adam Everett and Greg Miller? Would things have been different?
Everyone remembers the saga surrounding Carl Everett. Houston was trying to shed his contract and couldn’t wait to get rid of their internal headache. The Boston Red Sox figured a change of scenery would ease the stress of dealing with a team that was no longer interested in dealing with his antics.
Everett was everything the Sox needed in 2000. General Manager at the time, Dan Duquette, figured a deal was worth it.
The Red Sox shipped rookie shortstop prospect Adam Everett and minor league left-handed pitcher Greg Miller to complete the deal. We’ll explore all three careers to see if the Sox gave too much, too little, or just enough for what they got in return.
Adam Everett & Greg Miller in Houston
Adam Everett was a highly touted prospect who never blossomed into what the Astros were hoping for. His highest batting average was .279, which was back in 2004. Everett’s best statistical season was in 2005 when he slashed a .248/11/54/21 line. He never hit more than eight home runs in any other season and only had more than 10 stolen bases one other time.
More from Red Sox News
- 3 players the Red Sox could’ve DFA’ed instead of Jeter Downs and Eric Hosmer
- Eric Hosmer DFA is latest questionable Red Sox roster decision
- Scott Boras rubs Xander Bogaerts failure in Red Sox faces at Masataka Yoshida introduction
- Did Alex Cora just drop a huge hint about Red Sox free-agent target?
- 4 Free-agent DH options Red Sox should consider to replace JD Martinez
Everett had 531 career hits in Houston, 102 of which were doubles and 35 which were home runs. He also added 214 RBI and 59 stolen bases. By the numbers that were put up, you would have thought that this guy was a utility player not a starter. Everett only managed to play 120 or more games three times in those seven seasons with Houston.
His Major League Baseball career didn’t start until almost three years after the trade. Sometimes some players blossom early, sometimes they’re late and sometimes they don’t blossom at all.
Greg Miller never got to the majors, as his farthest stop to the show was Triple-A . After age 23, he was done with baseball. His ERA in 2003 during his Triple-A campaign was 7.02 and he only managed 16 strike outs spanning 41 innings. He also allowed five home runs and 22 walks in addition to 37 runs, 32 earned on 59 hits. Miller never became what the man the Astros had hoped for and by all considerations was a complete bust.
Carl Everett in Boston
When Carl Everett came to Boston in 2000 he was the hitting force that the Sox were missing ever since Mo Vaughn was granted free agency at the end of the 1998 season. Less than two years later and it looked like the boys from Beantown had found their replacement for the hard hitting first baseman. What looked like the beginning of a long span in Boston never fully materialized after the first year of the deal.
More from Red Sox News
- 3 players the Red Sox could’ve DFA’ed instead of Jeter Downs and Eric Hosmer
- Eric Hosmer DFA is latest questionable Red Sox roster decision
- Scott Boras rubs Xander Bogaerts failure in Red Sox faces at Masataka Yoshida introduction
- Did Alex Cora just drop a huge hint about Red Sox free-agent target?
- 4 Free-agent DH options Red Sox should consider to replace JD Martinez
Everett was everything the Sox had hoped for in 2000. He crushed a career-high 34 home runs that season and matched a career best 108 runs knocked in that he had set the year prior coming to Boston. Everett stole 11 bases, the last season he ever cracked double digits. He also had 496 at-bats which was the second most of his career.
Overall his slash in his first year in Boston looked like .300/34/108/11 with OBP/SLG/OPS line of .373/.587/.959. It was Everett’s third best OBP, best SLG and second best OPS number of his career.
Year two of the Carl Everett project wasn’t as productive, as he slashed .257/14/58/9. Everett’s bad attitude was another big drawback to having him stay long term and any chance he had of signing a mega-deal left the day Manny Ramirez arrived in Boston.
Everett’s career numbers in Boston
Hits: 254
Batting Average: .281
Home Runs: 48
Runs Batted In: 166
Stolen Bases: 20
Runs: 143
When Everett wasn’t the top man on the squad, he saw a major decline in his numbers. Ramirez became the clout hitter that was feared far more than Everett ever was. Ramirez was one year younger and exponentially better. Everett saw his career move to a new city the following season. Still we ask, was this trade worth it for either party?
Verdict?
Signing Carl Everett restored some faith in the Red Sox after letting Vaughn go in free agency. We lost our top hitter at the end if 1998 for nothing. While Greg Miller never turned into anything, Adam Everett turned into a fine defensive shortstop. Carl Everett, while good defensively, was great for really only one season.
The trade really ended up being an Everett for an Everett. One became a decent fielder and the other experienced a great year in Boston. One team was able to shed themselves of a major contract and a team headache while the other was able to reinvigorate Red Sox baseball for a year before the David Ortiz Era began.
I’d say that the Carl Everett for Adam Everett and Greg Miller trade was about an even trade for both parties. Each Everett served their purpose. Fans won’t forget the issues involving Everett in Boston and one thing’s for sure, no one will truly know just how good he could have been if he had just kept his attitude in check.
Had he been thinking team-first from the beginning of his tenure in Boston, the Sox could have had a powerhouse squad consisting of Ortiz, Everett, Ramirez, and Nomar Garciaparra on offense. Lest we forget, Pedro Martinez and Curt Schilling were starring as the leaders in the rotation. Everett could have been remembered for what will be remembered as one of the best Red Sox era’s ever.
Stay tuned for the next “What If” article coming out in two weeks.