One year ago to the date, the Dodgers completed their blockbuster trade with the Red Sox, sending James Loney, Allen Webster, Rubby De La Rosa, and Jerry Sands to Boston in exchange for the super-size contracts of Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford, Josh Beckett and Nick Punto.
The trade saw over $200 million in salaries change teams, with the Dodgers adding super-star talent and Boston dumping unwanted payroll from their roster in order to rebuild.
With a blockbuster trade such as this, there is always chatter about who "won" the trade. At this point, judging strictly off win-loss record, you'd have to consider it a tie with the two teams just one win apart. Success in the post-season will definitely have some weight in the decision to who won the trade after the one-year mark.
This is a long-term trade, winners will not be decided for a while to come. The Dodgers still owe over $80 million to Carl Crawford through 2017, and over $100 million to Adrian Gonzalez through 2018.
Don Mattingly shared some thoughts on the trade on Sunday; "I was excited to get that group of players coming over," but it took longer to make a change then they expected originally due to injuries. He continued, "We didn't get Carl (who was on the DL in most of 2012), Beckett comes in, (Chad) Billingsley goes out (with an elbow injury), we get Adrian, Matt (Kemp) goes out (with shoulder issues), so we really didn't gain anything from that trade. It's like we got guys, but we lost guys at the same time. Kind of an even deal for us."
At the time of the trade in 2012 the Dodgers were 11 games over .500 and two games behind the Giants in the NL West, and finished the season 85-75 and eight games out of the division.
In 2013, Gonzalez and Crawford have been an important part of the lineup, along with utility man Nick Punto.
"This year we're obviously seeing the difference," Mattingly noted.Another interesting note is what the Dodgers would have done without the trade, "we probably would have made a run at (Shane) Victorino if we don't get Carl. You know we liked him," Mattingly said, "and if you don't get Adrian, that changes you again."
Victorino signed with Boston in the off-season and is their everyday right fielder.
Of course just for some added flair to the trade's one-year anniversary, the Dodgers faced Boston in the finale of a three-game series on Sunday in Los Angeles. The Dodgers lost 8-1, snapping their streak of undefeated series at 18.
