Red Sox: Three Winter Meetings that shaped franchise’s future
The best moves the Boston Red Sox have made at the Winter Meetings
The Winter Meetings are upon us and while the virtual event will certainly be vastly different than in years past, it still provides the Boston Red Sox with an opportunity to start making moves.
History has shown that the Winter Meetings are when the hot stove typically begins to heat up. The annual event that brings team executives together with players and their representatives often leads to deals that can shape an organization’s offseason.
The loss of revenue from a pandemic-shortened season without fans creates uncertainty that could lead to a slow moving market. The top free-agents might take their time making a decision as they hold out for the best offers from a limited number of teams with money to spend. Some mid-tier free-agents might be waiting for the elite players to set the market. The unprecedented environment could make for a relatively quiet week but teams can still lay the groundwork for deals during these meetings.
The Red Sox have had their fair share of success during the Winter Meetings with several instances where they managed to sign free-agents or make a trade that paved the way to championship glory.
The Red Sox sign free-agent Manny Ramirez in 2000
After parts of eight seasons to open is career in Cleveland in which he established himself as one of the game’s best run producers, Manny Ramirez was the top bat on the market when he entered free agency for the first time.
On December 19, 2000, the Red Sox inked Ramirez to an eight-year, $160 million deal. It was the richest free-agent deal in franchise history at the time and allowed Ramirez to join Alex Rodriguez as the first players in MLB history to earn $20+ million per season.
Ramirez hit .312/.411/.588 with 274 home runs and 868 home runs in 1083 games in a Red Sox uniform. He was an eight-time All-Star and earned a Sliver Slugger award in each of his first six seasons in Boston while finishing in the top-10 on the AL MVP ballot in five consecutive seasons.
David Ortiz paired with Ramirez to form the league’s most formidable duo. The two superstars anchored the lineup of two championship teams, including the curse-breaking 2004 title when Ramirez earned World Series MVP honors.
The affable Ramirez was a fan-favorite for years but the “Manny being Manny” routine eventually wore thin. A falling out with the team led to the Red Sox shipping Ramirez to the Dodgers midway through the 2008 season.
His tenure in Boston didn’t end well but Ramirez earned every cent of that massive contract while he was here. His contribution to two World Series titles helped change the culture of a franchise that had endured 86 years of misery, transforming the Red Sox from an underdog to a team expected to contend every year. That makes Ramirez arguably one of the most important free-agent signings in franchise history.
The Red Sox revamp the roster at 2013 Winter Meetings
The Red Sox were in desperate need of an overhaul following a miserable 2012 season that saw a toxic clubhouse mutiny against manager Bobby Valentine. A blockbuster trade in August of that season cleared about a quarter of a billion dollars in payroll to create the flexibility to revamp the roster.
There wasn’t one big splash made by the Red Sox during the 2012 Winter Meetings but they made a series of under-the-radar moves to bring in high-character veterans to change the culture in the clubhouse. Boston spent over $100 million on seven free-agents, many of whom proved to be as beneficial on the field as they were off the field. These moves were vital to Boston’s worst-to-first turnaround that resulted in a 2013 championship.
Among the notable additions was Shane Victorino, who was signed to a three-year, $39 million deal. He won a Gold Glove in his first season in Boston and provided a spark at the top of the lineup. His epic grand slam in Game 6 of the ALCS helped launch the Red Sox to the World Series.
Mike Napoli‘s deal took weeks to finalize when a hip issue prompted the sides to renegotiate but Boston laid the groundwork when they convinced him to sign during the Winter Meetings.
Koji Uehara was initially brought in to be a middle reliever but he ended up being the savior of the bullpen when the first several choices to handle the closer role didn’t pan out.
These were mostly short-term deals for aging veterans who only offered a temporary solution but they provided immediate dividends by dragging the Red Sox out of the basement and delivering a World Series title.
The Red Sox trade for Chris Sale in 2016
The Winter Meetings are about more than negotiating with free agents. This event also provides an opportunity for teams to discuss trades and one of the biggest deals in recent memory took place during the 2016 meetings.
The Red Sox acquired Chris Sale from the Chicago White Sox in exchange for a package headlined by top prospects Yoan Moncada and Michael Kopech.
Sale was brilliant in his first season in Boston, going 17-8 with a 2.90 ERA to finish as the runner-up for the AL Cy Young award. He made a valiant run at Pedro Martinez’ single-season franchise record for strikeouts, finishing with a league-leading 308 K’s.
The lefty was even more dominant in 2018 when he posted a 2.11 ERA and improved his strikeout rate to a career-high 13.5 K/9. Shoulder inflammation limited him to only 27 starts that season but Sale returned in time for the playoffs to give the pitching staff a boost for their championship run. He came out of the bullpen to record the final out of the World Series, sending Manny Machado to his knees with a filthy slider that he chased for strike three.
Sale hit a rough patch in 2019 and missed this entire year after undergoing Tommy John surgery. He’s expected to return in the middle of next season but the five-year, $145 million extension the Red Sox gave him is already starting to look like a potential albatross.
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The extension might be questionable but the decision to trade for Sale during the 2016 Winter Meetings was undoubtedly a wise decision. He was one of the best pitchers in baseball for the first two seasons after the trade and the Red Sox wouldn’t have won a franchise-record 108 games and the championship in 2018 without him.