Honorable Mentions
We remember David Wells mostly from his time with the Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees when he was an All-Star and Cy Young candidate. He did spend a rather unremarkable year and a half in Boston late in his career when he was on the wrong side of 40. The Red Sox traded Wells to the San Diego Padres in August 2006 for a player to be named later. Wells was solid for the Padres, producing a 3.49 ERA in five starts to help his new team reach the postseason. He pitched well in his lone NLDS start that year, allowing only two runs over five innings, yet still took a loss.
The Red Sox received catching prospect George Kottaras in exchange for Wells. He made his brief major league debut in 2008 and served as the team’s backup catcher the following season.
Lou Merloni spent the first five seasons of his career with the Red Sox before he was claimed off waivers by the Padres prior to the 2003 season. The Framingham native was traded back to Boston in August of that year, appearing in 15 games before leaving again as a free agent. While his brief return was uneventful, Merloni was always a fan-favorite and can now be heard on the airwaves in Boston on WEEI radio.
The Red Sox acquired Pat Mahomes from the Minnesota Twins in August 1996. The fiery reliever posted a brutal 6.85 ERA in parts of two seasons in Boston. This trade is a mere blip on the radar as far as Red Sox trades go but it remains a fun fact in franchise history for one notable reason. When Mahomes was traded to Boston he moved here with his family, including his young son Patrick Mahomes II, who would grow up to earn the 2018 NFL MVP award as the quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs.