Even 100 years and four World Series titles haven’t been able to completely erase the Boston Red Sox's association with bad trades.
The franchise’s identity has been molded to reflect these failures. From the “Cardiac Kids” to the “Idiots,” the players themselves have adopted monikers that imply impending doom, and the fans sometimes masochistically identify as “losers.” Who can blame them considering Boston’s heartbreaking history?
Such a painful past has even colored the way Red Sox fans approach the news of trades. Even upon the announcement of the blockbuster deal for Garrett Crochet this week, some met the news with, perhaps undeserved, skepticism. With that in mind, let’s open a few old wounds and remind ourselves of the beautiful pain with the worst trades of Red Sox history.
5 trades the Boston Red Sox likely wish they could do over
The one that started it all: Babe Ruth
Gallons of ink have been spilled over the 1919 trade that started the Curse, but to overlook this trade would be a disservice to the Red Sox and to Babe Ruth himself.
After all, the Bambino won almost as many World Series in Boston as he did in New York. In fact, his championship track record was better in Beantown as the Red Sox went 3-0 in the Fall Classic with Ruth while the Yankees went 4-3 in their seven World Series with the slugger. Statistically speaking, his pitching provided more championship-worthy benefits to the Red Sox than his hitting did for the Yankees: he posted a 49.3% cWPA in his three pitching outings for Boston and a 43.1% cWPA over his 118 World Series at-bats with New York.
Of course, this trade is less about what Ruth gave to the Sox than what owner Harry Frazee got in return from the Yankees: $100,000 and a loan for the Fenway Park mortgage. In some ways, Frazee dodged a bullet. The other offer on the table would have brought $60,000 and Shoeless Joe Jackson to Boston. Jackson, of course, would be banned from baseball after the 1920 season.
Even though Ruth performed slightly worse against the Red Sox than his career marks, seeing the greatest slugger of all time suited up in pinstripes has haunted the franchise for years. No amount of goodwill extended by Ruth throughout the years could ever repair the broken relationship with Red Sox Nation.