Earlier this year, when former Lakers superstar Magic Johnson was formally approved by investors to buy the Los Angeles Dodgers, he said, “I am thrilled to be a part of the historic Dodger franchise and intend to build on the fantastic foundation laid by Frank McCourt as we drive the Dodgers back to the front page of the sports section of our wonderful community of Los Angeles.”
With their recent trade for Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett, Carl Crawford and Nick Punto — all former Red Sox players — the the Dodgers have not only successfully brought themselves back to the front page of the Los Angeles Times sport section but also to the forefront of conversation in the national sports media.
Having a massive payroll while simultaneously playing mediocre baseball—a la the 2012 Red Sox—is the worst combination in baseball. Even though the Red Sox gave up their best hitter and a proven postseason starter, the trade will allow them to rebuild around younger talent and contend much faster than they would have been able to otherwise.
In return for Gonzalez, Beckett, Crawford and Punto, the Red Sox received James Loney and prospects Rubby De La Rosa, Jerry Sands, Ivan De Jesus and Allen Webster. If De La Rossa is fully recovered from last year’s Tommy John surgery, he could help bolster a Red Sox pitching staff that was once a strength but has turned into one of their biggest question marks thanks, in part, to the controversy at the end of last season. Allen Webster and — hopefully — Daniel Bard, should add depth to a bullpen that had injury trouble as well as very inconsistent performance this year. The Red Sox will now also have enough money to make a major play in free agency this year for a starting pitcher or another big bat to replace Gonzalez.
With all of the salary dumped by the Red Sox, the trade represents a rapid change in philosophy for the organization. In 2011 the Red Sox signed both Gonzalez and Crawford to seven-year contracts, each worth $100 million dollars. Now, just two years later, neither player is with the team.
For the Dodgers, this trade represents the commitment to winning that they promised after they bought the team. Although by his standards Gonzalez is having a down year power-wise, he is still hitting .297 with 92 RBIs, which ranks him second in batting average and first in RBIs in the Dodgers lineup.
Acquiring Beckett and Crawford is quite a gamble. Beckett has a 5-12 record this year with a mediocre 5.12 ERA. He is, however, a proven postseason ace with a 7-3 record and a 3.07 ERA in postseason play. The Dodgers have to hope that all Beckett needed was a change of scenery to get back to his old ways, especially with Chad Billingsely possibly out for the season. A 1-2 punch with Beckett and incumbent No. 1 Clayton Kershaw would be tough to handle.
Knowing his postseason record, you can justify the gamble on Beckett who only has 2 years left on his contract if he can’t regain his old form, but it is harder to see why the Dodgers would agree to take on Carl Crawford and the five years and $102 million left on his contract, especially since just last week he had Tommy John surgery to repair an injured elbow tendon. Even before the surgery, however, he still wasn’t worth the risk. In 2011, his first season with the Red Sox, Crawford put up his worst numbers since his rookie year. This season, he only played in 31 games before electing to have the aforementioned Tommy John surgery. Crawford has been a massive disappointment since signing his new contract and will now saddle the Dodgers with 5 years at $20 million per year worth of DL visits and sub-par play.
With the Dodgers’ acquisition of Gonzalez, Beckett and Crawford and the earlier acquisitions of Hanley Ramirez, Shane Victorino, Joe Blanton and Brandon League, they have cemented themselves as the Yankees of the West. Hoping that if they spend enough money they will be able to win their seventh World Series and first since 1988, the famous Kirk Gibson series. I, for one, am intrigued and looking forward to seeing if it all works out and leads to a World Series championship.
