Red Sox Redux: A team of players who left Boston
Hindsight is a great tool for Boston Red Sox fans. Now a look at a team created of those who left.
Just what kind of team could I build from players the Red Sox traded, released or didn’t sign when they became free agents? Just how far back do you go? My reference point is one player I wished the Red Sox had tendered a free agent contract after the 2010 season. So that is the starting point – 2010.
This will certainly not be a team built for success compared to the current 2017 Red Sox. Nor will it take into consideration that often the decision not to sign or to trade was the smart move. In some instances, the player moved from one organization to another with Boston just being a way station in their career. I will not be involved with any fWAR comparisons.
Looking at rosters going back to 2010 was a memory jolt as name after name cropped up with either positive memories, forgettable memories or no real memories at all. Amazing how many players can go through a roster in one season. In 2010 a total of 53 players appeared on the roster. In 2013 the total was 48.
What stands out is pitching and except for a few obvious choices the pitchers that are still playing today are simply not close to our current staff. The players are also mostly in that category that says their best days are behind them.
Outfielders
Yoenis Cespedes – Came to Boston in a trade with Oakland that included Jon Lester heading west. Cespedes did not impress in Boston hitting just .269 in 51 games with five home runs. He was sent to Detroit for Rick Porcello.
Jacoby Ellsbury – Became a free agent and moved on to the Yankees with a mega deal. Last season in Boston hit .298 and led the American League in stolen bases with 52. Finished second in 2011 MVP voting. Ellsbury is hitting just .265 in four seasons in New York.
Josh Reddick – Hit .248 in 141 games with Boston before being traded to Oakland for Andrew Bailey and Ryan Sweeney. In his first season in Oakland, Reddick hit 32 home runs. Now with Houston, he’s hitting over .300.
Daniel Nava – Nava was a feel good story working his way from independent ball to MLB. He was placed on waivers by the Red Sox and claimed by Tampa Bay. Nava is currently with Philadelphia and hitting near .300 as a part-time outfielder.
Adrian Gonzalez – Why not the outfield? Saw him play it in Houston when the Astros were a National League team. Gonzalez was part of the Nick Punto trade to the Dodgers that cleared money. He put up excellent numbers in parts of two seasons in Boston, hitting .321 with 42 home runs. Has never hit .300 with Dodgers.
Infielders
Adrian Beltre – This would have solved the Red Sox third base problem to the present. Beltre had one great year in Boston, hitting .321/28/102 and leading AL in doubles. He’s had excellent years with Texas after signing a free agent deal going over 30+ home runs and 100+ RBI four times. Beltre will be in the Baseball Hall of Fame some day.
More from Red Sox History
- Two notable Red Sox anniversaries highlight current organizational failures
- Contemporary Era Committee doesn’t elect any former Red Sox to Hall of Fame
- Johnny Damon calls Red Sox out, reveals hilarious way he skirted Yankees’ grooming policy
- Remembering the best Red Sox Thanksgiving ever
- Red Sox World Series legends headline 2023 Hall of Fame ballot
Jose Iglesias – Great defensive player who has developed hitting skills. Traded to the Tigers in 2013 in a three-way deal that brought Jake Peavy to Boston. Iglesias hit .280 in 91 Boston career games. He made the All-Star team in Detroit after missing the 2014 season.
Travis Shaw – Centerpiece of deal with Brewers for Tyler Thornburg. Shaw is capable of playing first and third. He has more home runs and RBI with the Brewers than any Red Sox player. Let’s hope this wasn’t this generations Jeff Bagwell trade.
Jed Lowrie – Former first-round pick traded to Houston for Mark Melancon. Lowrie had four seasons and 251 games for the Red Sox hitting .251. Often on the DL, but he showed some respectable power. He is currently among American League leaders in doubles.
Mike Napoli – Key Beard Brother for the 2013 championship team. Napoli was traded to Texas for cash in 2015. He found his home run stroke in Cleveland with 34 in 2016. He also found his strikeout stroke with 194. Napoli is hitting under .200 in 2017, but on track for 30+ home runs for Texas.
Stephen Drew – A rare trade between Boston and the New York Yankees shipped Drew out for Kelly Johnson. Signed as a free agent by the Red Sox, Drew hit .253 in 2013 and then faded. He’s now hitting over .300 with the Nationals.
Catchers
Victor Martinez – Martinez last caught a game in 2014 and has been used almost exclusively at DH with some time at first base. He played two seasons with the Red Sox hitting a very solid .313. Martinez was acquired from Cleveland via trade of Justin Masterson and Nick Hagadone. He left for the Tigers as a free agent and almost captured a batting title in 2014.
Ryan Hanigan – As solid a defensive catcher as one will find, Hanigan came to Boston for Will Middlebrooks. He twice led the National League in CS% and has a great reputation as a handler of pitchers. With the Red Sox, injuries forced Hanigan to assume more of a role as a regular. He finished his Boston stint of 89 games with a .219 average. Now he’s with Colorado.
Jarrod Saltalamacchia – Now playing for Buffalo, his claim to fame is defensively playing himself to the bench in the 2013 playoffs. The Red Sox picked him up from the Rangers for three minor league players. Salty left Boston via free agency after hitting 55 home runs and batting .243 in 355 games with the Red Sox.
Starters
Jon Lester – First traded to Oakland, Lester would then signed a mega-deal with the Cubs after the 2014 season. The record in Boston was a very impressive 110-63. He pitched two outstanding games in the 2013 World Series and owned a playoff record in Boston of 6-4. There’s no questioning Lester’s postseason record. He doesn’t miss many starts and gives 200+ innings a season. The Red Sox received Cespedes in a mid-season trade for Lester.
More from Red Sox History
- Two notable Red Sox anniversaries highlight current organizational failures
- Contemporary Era Committee doesn’t elect any former Red Sox to Hall of Fame
- Johnny Damon calls Red Sox out, reveals hilarious way he skirted Yankees’ grooming policy
- Remembering the best Red Sox Thanksgiving ever
- Red Sox World Series legends headline 2023 Hall of Fame ballot
John Lackey – From outcast to hero in Boston when fans became aware he pitched a season with a dead arm. Lackey came back strong in 2013, going 10-13. His record in Boston was 47-43. He posted a 3-1 postseason record with Red Sox. Now Lackey is leading the National League in home runs allowed. He came to Boston as a free agent and was sent to Cards for Joe Kelly and the now released Allen Craig.
Rich Hill – It’s difficult to keep track of how many times Hill pitched for the Red Sox. He signed as a free agent and left as a free agent. In four Boston seasons, Hill was 4-1 with a minuscule 1.34 ERA. Hill signed a free agent deal with the Dodgers, where he does well provided he avoids blisters.
Rubby De La Rosa – Arrived in Boston via the Punto deal with the Dodgers and left via trade to Arizona. With the D-Backs, Rubby went 14-9 and looked like he had finally started to turn the pitching corner, but injuries set him back. He was terrible with Red Sox, posting a 4-10 record and 4.54 ERA.
Wade Miley – The good news is Miley is an “Inning Eater.” The bad news is generally what happens in those innings. He was traded from Arizona to Boston for Allen Webster and De La Rosa, then shipped to Seattle after one season for Carson Smith. In his one season in Boston Miley was 11-11 with a 4.46 ERA. Now he’s a member of that dreadful Baltimore staff.
Bullpen
Andrew Miller – Acquired as a free agent and eventually traded to Baltimore for Eduardo Rodriguez. He converted from a starter to the bullpen and is now one of the élite specialist in the game. Miller’s ERA is well under 2.00 with Baltimore, New York, and now Cleveland. His postseason ERA is 0.98.
Koji Uehara – Signed to add depth to the bullpen and became a legend with his 2013 season when Boston needed a closer. Koji finished 2013 with a 4-1 record, 1.09 ERA and 21 saves. He tacked on 26 saves in 2014 and 25 in 2015. In four seasons with the Red Sox, Koji had 79 saves and a 2.19 ERA. Uehara signed with the Cubs as a free agent.
Mark Melancon – Arrived in Boston from Houston for Lowrie. He did nothing for the Red Sox and was traded to Pittsburgh for Brock Holt. Melancon led National League with 51 saves in 2015. Now he’s with the Giants.
Alex Wilson – A throw-in with Cespedes in the Porcello trade with the Tigers. Wilson has become an exceptional bridge reliever. Wilson finished his two partial seasons in Boston with a 2-1 record.
Matt Albers – Albers signed a free-agent deal with the Red Sox in 2010 and was traded to Arizona in 2012. His record in Boston was 6-4 with a 3.81 ERA. How he pitches for the Nationals.
Craig Breslow – Breslow is still tossing. He was traded to Boston in 2012 for Albers. Prior to that he had signed with the Red Sox as a free agent (2006) and yet again in 2015. In five seasons with Boston, Breslow was 8-12 with a 3.80 ERA.
Next: Red Sox need to counter Yankees
Junichi Tazawa – Signed from the Japan Industrial League, Tazawa left after 2016 as a free agent. He had a solid seven-year Boston run, primarily out of the bullpen as a setup reliever. Tazawa pitched 302 games for the Red Sox with a 3.58 ERA. He allowed only one earned run in 13 postseason games.