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LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles Dodgers completed the largest trade in franchise history Saturday, acquiring All-Stars Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford and Josh Beckett in a nine-player trade in which they are taking on more than a quarter of a billion dollars in salary.
It's another bold and expensive move for a new ownership group that has made it clear they'll spare no expense to put a winning team on the field as soon as possible.
"We continue to do everything in our power to strengthen our team for the stretch drive in an effort to reach the postseason," Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti said in a statement. "The trade today exemplifies owernship's commitment to making the team as good as possible, not only for 2012 but for many seasons to come."
The Dodgers sent first baseman James Loney and minor leaguers Allen Webster, Ivan De Jesus and two players to be named later -- pitcher Rubby De La Rosa and infielder Jerry Sands, according to sources -- to Boston in the trade. They also acquired utility man Nick Punto.
The Dodgers are chasing San Francisco for the NL West title and are in the midst of the wild-card race. The trade came less than a week before the Aug. 31 deadline for teams to have players under their control in order for them to be eligible for the postseason.
According to ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney, Gonzalez is in the Dodgers' lineup for Saturday night's game with the Miami Marlins, batting fifth behind last year's MVP runner-up Matt Kemp.
The centerpiece of the trade, Gonzalez, a four-time All-Star and Gold Glove winner, hit .300 with 15 home runs and 86 RBIs in 123 games for the Red Sox this season.
He is hitting .398 with runners in scoring position, second in the majors.
Gonzalez, 30, grew up in San Diego and tweeted Saturday morning, "Excited to get back to Cali and be a part of Dodgertown!"
Colletti was active around the trade deadline, acquiring All-Star outfielder Shane Victorino and former Rookie of the Year Hanley Ramirez along with relievers Randy Choate and Brandon League.
But the Dodgers didn't get all the players they were pursuing. They missed out on acquiring pitcher Ryan Dempster shortly before the deadline and Cliff Lee after it.
The Dodgers' ownership group, led by hedge fund Guggenheim Partners and fronted by former Lakers star Magic Johnson, bought the team in March for $2.15 billion.
They are expected to fetch an MLB record TV contract when their current deal expires at the end of the 2013 season.
Beckett had become a lightning rod in Boston since the Red Sox's September collapse and had won just one of his past 13 starts. Crawford, who is out for the rest of the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, put up career-low numbers in 2011.
"We recognized that we are not who we want to be right now and it's been a large enough sample of performance going back to last year," Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington said in a news conference in Boston. "We felt like in order to be the team that we wanted to be on the field we needed to make more than cosmetic changes."
Beckett was scheduled to pitch Saturday for the Red Sox.
He likely will take the mound Sunday or Monday for the Dodgers. Beckett is 7-3 with a 3.07 ERA in the postseason.
The Dodgers part with two of their top pitching prospects in De La Rosa and Webster. One scout said De La Rosa could be a "top-of-the-rotation" starter if he fully recovers from the Tommy John surgery he had in August of 2011.
The Red Sox returned to their clubhouse Saturday to find empty lockers where Beckett, Gonzalez and Crawford stored their gear before they packed for Los Angeles.
Pitcher John Lackey already had claimed Beckett's locker and the others' were left with generic nameplates after the players cleared out Friday night and Saturday morning.
"As we look forward to this offseason," Cherington said, "we felt like the opportunity to build the team that we need, that the fans deserve, required a more bold move to give us the opportunity to really reshape the roster, reshape the team."
For the Red Sox, far back for playoff contention, the deal dismantled the underperforming ballclub and gives them a chance to rebuild without their hefty contracts. Boston stood to save $261 million in salary through 2018 -- it was not known how much cash it sent to the Dodgers.
"We gave up a lot of talent," Cherington said. "Good guys, excited about the talent we got back and excited about the opportunity this gives us to build the next great Red Sox team."
The Red Sox are trying to get a fresh start from the fried chicken and beer fiasco of September 2011. Manager Terry Francona and general manager Theo Epstein didn't last through the fall, and the team's 60-66 record under manager Bobby Valentine so far this season convinced the team's brain trust that a more drastic upheaval was necessary.
Beckett helped the Red Sox win the 2007 World Series but was seen as the ringleader in last year's collapse, when the ballclub went 7-20 in September and missed a playoff spot on the final day of the season. Reports of players drinking beer and eating fried chicken in the clubhouse during games surfaced afterward, and Beckett's haughty demeanor continued to alienate fans even as his ERA rose.
The 2003 World Series MVP with the Marlins, Beckett now moves from the home of Dunkin' Donuts to the land of In-N-Out Burger, bringing with him a pair of players who were not productive enough to justify their contracts.
Beckett was due $31.5 million over the next two years; Gonzalez has $127 million coming through 2018; Crawford is due $102.5 million over the next five seasons.
The 32-year-old Beckett is 5-11 with a 5.23 ERA in 21 starts this season. A three-time All-Star, he is 130-92 lifetime with a 3.93 ERA.
Crawford hit .282 with three homers and 19 RBIs in 31 games this season. He was a four-time All-Star with
Tampa Bay before signing with Boston.
The 34-year-old Punto hit .200 with one homer and 10 RBIs as a backup.
Loney hit .254 with four homers and 33 RBIs for the Dodgers this season. At 28, he'd spent his whole career in Los Angeles.
The 25-year-old DeJesus was optioned to Triple-A Pawtucket. He hit .273 in 23 games for the Dodgers this year.
A 22-year-old right-hander, Webster was 6-8 with a 3.55 ERA at Double-A Chattanooga.
It's another bold and expensive move for a new ownership group that has made it clear they'll spare no expense to put a winning team on the field as soon as possible.
"We continue to do everything in our power to strengthen our team for the stretch drive in an effort to reach the postseason," Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti said in a statement. "The trade today exemplifies owernship's commitment to making the team as good as possible, not only for 2012 but for many seasons to come."
The Dodgers sent first baseman James Loney and minor leaguers Allen Webster, Ivan De Jesus and two players to be named later -- pitcher Rubby De La Rosa and infielder Jerry Sands, according to sources -- to Boston in the trade. They also acquired utility man Nick Punto.
The Dodgers are chasing San Francisco for the NL West title and are in the midst of the wild-card race. The trade came less than a week before the Aug. 31 deadline for teams to have players under their control in order for them to be eligible for the postseason.
According to ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney, Gonzalez is in the Dodgers' lineup for Saturday night's game with the Miami Marlins, batting fifth behind last year's MVP runner-up Matt Kemp.
The centerpiece of the trade, Gonzalez, a four-time All-Star and Gold Glove winner, hit .300 with 15 home runs and 86 RBIs in 123 games for the Red Sox this season.
He is hitting .398 with runners in scoring position, second in the majors.
Gonzalez, 30, grew up in San Diego and tweeted Saturday morning, "Excited to get back to Cali and be a part of Dodgertown!"
Colletti was active around the trade deadline, acquiring All-Star outfielder Shane Victorino and former Rookie of the Year Hanley Ramirez along with relievers Randy Choate and Brandon League.
But the Dodgers didn't get all the players they were pursuing. They missed out on acquiring pitcher Ryan Dempster shortly before the deadline and Cliff Lee after it.
The Dodgers' ownership group, led by hedge fund Guggenheim Partners and fronted by former Lakers star Magic Johnson, bought the team in March for $2.15 billion.
They are expected to fetch an MLB record TV contract when their current deal expires at the end of the 2013 season.
Beckett had become a lightning rod in Boston since the Red Sox's September collapse and had won just one of his past 13 starts. Crawford, who is out for the rest of the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, put up career-low numbers in 2011.
"We recognized that we are not who we want to be right now and it's been a large enough sample of performance going back to last year," Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington said in a news conference in Boston. "We felt like in order to be the team that we wanted to be on the field we needed to make more than cosmetic changes."
Beckett was scheduled to pitch Saturday for the Red Sox.
He likely will take the mound Sunday or Monday for the Dodgers. Beckett is 7-3 with a 3.07 ERA in the postseason.
The Dodgers part with two of their top pitching prospects in De La Rosa and Webster. One scout said De La Rosa could be a "top-of-the-rotation" starter if he fully recovers from the Tommy John surgery he had in August of 2011.
The Red Sox returned to their clubhouse Saturday to find empty lockers where Beckett, Gonzalez and Crawford stored their gear before they packed for Los Angeles.
Pitcher John Lackey already had claimed Beckett's locker and the others' were left with generic nameplates after the players cleared out Friday night and Saturday morning.
"As we look forward to this offseason," Cherington said, "we felt like the opportunity to build the team that we need, that the fans deserve, required a more bold move to give us the opportunity to really reshape the roster, reshape the team."
For the Red Sox, far back for playoff contention, the deal dismantled the underperforming ballclub and gives them a chance to rebuild without their hefty contracts. Boston stood to save $261 million in salary through 2018 -- it was not known how much cash it sent to the Dodgers.
"We gave up a lot of talent," Cherington said. "Good guys, excited about the talent we got back and excited about the opportunity this gives us to build the next great Red Sox team."
The Red Sox are trying to get a fresh start from the fried chicken and beer fiasco of September 2011. Manager Terry Francona and general manager Theo Epstein didn't last through the fall, and the team's 60-66 record under manager Bobby Valentine so far this season convinced the team's brain trust that a more drastic upheaval was necessary.
Beckett helped the Red Sox win the 2007 World Series but was seen as the ringleader in last year's collapse, when the ballclub went 7-20 in September and missed a playoff spot on the final day of the season. Reports of players drinking beer and eating fried chicken in the clubhouse during games surfaced afterward, and Beckett's haughty demeanor continued to alienate fans even as his ERA rose.
The 2003 World Series MVP with the Marlins, Beckett now moves from the home of Dunkin' Donuts to the land of In-N-Out Burger, bringing with him a pair of players who were not productive enough to justify their contracts.
Beckett was due $31.5 million over the next two years; Gonzalez has $127 million coming through 2018; Crawford is due $102.5 million over the next five seasons.
The 32-year-old Beckett is 5-11 with a 5.23 ERA in 21 starts this season. A three-time All-Star, he is 130-92 lifetime with a 3.93 ERA.
Crawford hit .282 with three homers and 19 RBIs in 31 games this season. He was a four-time All-Star with
Tampa Bay before signing with Boston.
The 34-year-old Punto hit .200 with one homer and 10 RBIs as a backup.
Loney hit .254 with four homers and 33 RBIs for the Dodgers this season. At 28, he'd spent his whole career in Los Angeles.
The 25-year-old DeJesus was optioned to Triple-A Pawtucket. He hit .273 in 23 games for the Dodgers this year.
A 22-year-old right-hander, Webster was 6-8 with a 3.55 ERA at Double-A Chattanooga.
