All this lovely talk about Alex Rodriguez and steroids made me think to myself, what if A-Rod was traded to the Red Sox in 2003 for Manny Ramirez and Nomar Garciaparra. To some this may seem like I just made this "what if" up, but in actuality this trade was going to happen and could have if the players union allowed A-rod to take less money which he was willing to do. What would have become of this deal? Alex Rodriguez a Boston Red Sox Shortstop! Yikes... I'm sure any Red Sox fan must cringe at the thought that this could've been.
Now from a straight up stats perspective, which I always like to take in these opinons of mine. Fenway Park would have been a great place for A-Rod and I am quite sure he would have excelled as a regular season batter like he always seems to do. Manny and Nomar on the otherhand would have actually given the Texas Rangers a very large boost to their lineup especially considering in 03' Nomar hit .301 with 28 HRS and 105 RBIs and Manny went .325 with 37 HRS and 104 RBIs. Playing in Texas those stats could have actually seen an increase. The potential for a David Ortiz, Alex Rodriguez 3-4 in the lineup would have been just as comparable to the Ramirez, Ortiz duo and the loss of Nomar in 2003 would have been crucial. The Red Sox offense would still be very effective and they would have still made the playoffs.
In the long run though, without Manny and with A-Rod. I don't see the 86 year drought coming to an end. For all the garbage Red Sox fans gave Manny for being himself, he was very clutch and ended up being the first World Series MVP for the Red Sox since 1918. A-Rod would not have been able to replace that kind of production come playoff time.
This trade would have been quite detrimental to Boston, much more than it seemed at the time. Red Sox fans everywhere should thank the players union every chance they get because without them, Boston would still be screaming for the head of Bill Buckner.
Picture Courtesy of the Boston Globe
heh-heh
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