Red Sox: Three Winter Meetings that shaped franchise’s future
By Sean Penney
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.