Boston Red Sox: Top 5 offseason moves in franchise history

To Marlins: SS Hanley Ramirez, RHP Anibal Sanchez, RHP Harvey Garcia, RHP Jesus Delgado

To Red Sox: RHP Josh Beckett, 3B Mike Lowell, RHP Guillermo Mota

Coming in at number five in this brief countdown of historic Red Sox offseason moves is the 2005 acquisition of Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell.

Beckett was a rising ace on the Florida Marlins in the four full seasons he spent with the team. He delivered the best pitching performance in Marlins history in Game 6 of the 2003 World Series, scattering five hits over a complete game to give the franchise its second championship. His iconic complete game off of three days rest eliminated the Yankees after the 2003 ALC… actually, we won’t talk about that.

Veteran third baseman Mike Lowell was a proven consistent hitter and excellent fielder. Lowell posted three All-Star Game selections as a Marlin, winning a Gold Glove Award in 2005. The Red Sox knew exactly what they were receiving in Lowell, and he delivered in his five year Boston career.

This trade, which came on the heels of a second-place 2005 finish, was a move that showed Red Sox fans that the team was not slowing down after the 2004 Championship. Lowell and Beckett were, arguably, the two best players on the team in the 2007 World Series run, culminating with Lowell being named World Series MVP. Beckett allowed just four runs over four starts in the 2007 postseason, taking home ALCS MVP honors.

Anibal Sanchez was the only loss as far as the players Boston sent south. Harvey Garcia and Jesus Delgado pitched in a combined 10 games for Florida. A budding prospect at the time, Hanley is now back home on a monster free-agent deal.

The Beckett-Lowell trade was a terrific deal that lead directly to another World Series title. The Sox suffered practically no losses from their major league roster in this deal, making it good for the fifth best Red Sox offseason move.