Tag Archives: Heathcliff Slocumb

Best Deadline Deals in Red Sox History

1. Heathcliff Slocumb for Jason Varitek & Derek Lowe

This is a no-brainer at the top spot. This trade was always baffling, but continually got worse with each passing season as Varitek and Lowe paved their way in the big leagues.

The Mariners were desperate for relief help, as this wasn’t the only move they made for a relief pitcher. One is left to wonder why they thought Heathcliff Slocumb would help shore up a struggling bullpen though. Slocumb had a solid season in 1996, posting a 3.02 ERA and 31 saves, but his saves were often nerve-wracking, as he posted a 1.48 WHIP. In 1997 it all came apart. At the time of the trade he had blown five saves, posted a 5.79 ERA with an unsightly 1.97 WHIP. That means he essentially put on two baserunners each inning! Over the next season and a half in Seattle, Slocumb went 2-9 with a 4.97 ERA and 13 saves.

Meanwhile, Jason Varitek became the first catcher ever to catch four no-hitters. He was the eventual captain of the Red Sox, and is the second best catcher in franchise history. He was a three time all-star, a Silver Slugger winner and a Gold Glove winner.

Derek Lowe made two All-Star Games with the Red Sox. He led the American League with 42 saves in 2000, then two years later went 21-8 with a 2.58 ERA and 0.97 WHIP. He also won the clinching game of the ALDS, ALCS and the World Series in 2004. Without this trade, the Red Sox do not win the World Series in 2004, and who knows where the franchise would be.

As most Red Sox fans probably were at the time, I was just happy to be rid of Heathcliff Slocumb. Getting two important pieces back in return? Trade deadline gold.

2. The Nomar Deal

At the trade deadline in 2004 the Red Sox were in the playoff race, but needed to change things up to really make a run. Franchise icon Nomar Garciaparra was unhappy in Boston by this time, missing games with injury and not playing to his usual standards. The infield defense was sloppy and Theo Epstein decided the defense had to get better.

It wasn’t surprising when the Red Sox traded Nomar, a lot of people knew it was time, but it was bittersweet. The Red Sox sent Nomar and Matt Murton to the Cubs in a four team trade. Coming back to Boston were shortstop Orlando Cabrera and first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz. Both were good fielders to help shore up the infield defense.

Although Mientkiewicz couldn’t hit a lick, Orlando Cabrera proved to be a a sparkplug. He batted .294 with six home runs the rest of the season, while playing a steadier shortstop than Nomar . The team went 40-20 over the rest of the regular season. Cabrera then batted .379 in the seven game ALCS with the Yankees. I’ve never understood why the Red Sox let him leave after the season; he seemed to fit right in with the team personality-wise, clearly could handle Boston and the big stage, played a good defense and could hit.

The Red Sox went 40-20 after making the trade for Orlando Cabrera in 2004.

3. Rey Quinones for Dave Henderson & Spike Owen

This is one of those August deals I referred to in the beginning. The Red Sox wound up sending three other players to the Mariners later on as players to be named later, but none did a whole lot. Mike Brown and Mike Trujillo at least pitched some for them at the big league level. Quinones, who had been hitting just .237 for the Red Sox in his rookie season, did even worse over the rest of the season. He actually had a solid season in 1987 before his offense tailed off and he was out of baseball following the 1989 season. His batting register on baseball-reference.com is fascinating, popping up in Independent baseball in 1999 after having nothing listed since 1989.

Dave Henderson actually didn’t do much in the regular season for the Red Sox. He hit .196 with 1 home run over 51 at-bats. However, he hit one of the biggest home runs in franchise history in the 1986 ALCS to avoid a series defeat to the Angels. In the World Series, he would bat .400 with two more home runs. Imagine his status in Boston had they not choked.

As for Spike Owen, he stayed with the team for each of the next two seasons as well, and was their starting shortstop for 1987 and half of 1988. He also had a big postseason in 1986, batting .429 in the ALCS and .300 in the World Series.

Dave Henderson came up huge for the Red Sox in the 1986 postseason.

4. Santiago Espinal for Steve Pearce

I’m going back to just last season for this one. The Red Sox got the eventual World Series MVP for a prospect not on the radar for prospect lists. You never know how someone will develop, but at the moment this one looks like a steal. This trade happened about a month before the deadline, but it counts.

Pearce posted a .901 OPS for the Red Sox following the trade. He went all Jimmie Foxx on the Yankees in early August, hitting three home runs one day and another the next day. In the World Series he batted .333 with three home runs. In game four, he hit a home run off closer Kenley Jansen to tie the game at four in the 8th inning of an eventual 9-6 victory. For the clinching game five, he hit a two-run homer off Clayton Kershaw to open the scoring in the 1st inning, then homered again in the 8th inning, which was the dagger. For his efforts, he won World Series MVP.

Steve Pearce homers in the 8th inning of game 5 of the World Series.

5. Henri Stanley for Dave Roberts

We all know why this one is on the list, and it all comes down to just one play. The Red Sox picked up Dave Roberts on July 31, 2004 for Henri Stanley (who?). The idea with Roberts was to add some speed. He batted .256 with 2 home runs and five stolen bases over the rest of the regular season. In the playoffs, he was on the team to pinch-run. That was it. The rest, as they say, is history.

Honorable Mention: Mike Stanley

Mike Stanley gets an honorable mention for two trades. Stanley posted excellent offensive numbers in 1996 and 1997 for the Red Sox, but the team was well out of the race in 1997 so they moved him in August. In sending him to the Yankees, the Red Sox received Tony Armas Jr. in return.

Why is this trade so notable? Well, that offseason, the Red Sox were battling the Indians to trade for Pedro Martinez from the Expos. The Red Sox won out, sending the Expos two pitching prospects in Carl Pavano and, you guessed it, Tony Armas Jr. This Mike Stanley trade is very underrated in history, as it brought the Red Sox an important trade chip back to get possibly the best pitcher of all-time.

The very next season, in 1998, with the Red Sox back in the race again, they brought Stanley back at the deadline, sending Peter Munro and Jay Yennaco to the Blue Jays for him. Munro made the Majors, but didn’t do much to speak of. Yennaco never made to the show. Mike Stanley batted .288 with an .888 OPS the rest of the 1998 season. In 1999, he was their starting first baseman more often than not, posting a .393 on-base percentage while hitting 19 home runs. Stanley was also an excellent guy in the clubhouse, becoming a bench coach quickly after his retirement.

Mike Stanley was a great trade for the Red Sox both in dealing him (1997) and acquiring him again (1998).

Feature picture from sportsonearth.com

On This Day in Red Sox History: Big Mo’s Grand Slam

Pitcher’s Duel Early

The Mariners sent their ace to the mound, The Big Unit, Randy Johnson. Johnson was coming off a 20 win season during which he struck out 291 batters and posted a 2.28 ERA. He had reasserted himself as the most dominant left-hander in the game after an injury plagued 1996 season. For the Red Sox, top prospect Brian Rose would oppose Johnson on the mound. Rose was ranked as the number 22 prospect in all of baseball before the season by Baseball America.

Both pitchers were cruising early. Johnson struck out the side in the first, navigating around a one out double by John Valentin and a Mo Vaughn hit by pitch. Johnson then struck out two more in the second. Rose struck out two of his own in the second and didn’t allow his first hit until the third. In the bottom of the 4th, with a man on and two outs, Damon Buford took a 3-2 Randy Johnson offering up over the Green Monster for the first Fenway home run of the season. The Red Sox had a 2-0 lead after four despite seven strike outs.

Damon Buford gave the Red Sox a 2-0 lead with his home run in the 4th.

Red Sox Falter

22 year old Brian Rose pitched admirably for the Sox in their home opener. Rose went five shutout innings, allowing just three hits before running out of steam in the sixth. An RBI double by Edgar Martinez to score two runs with just one out in the sixth knocked Rose from the game. An error led to a third Mariners run of the inning and the Red Sox found themselves trailing with the formidable Randy Johnson on the mound. Johnson cruised, striking out two more in the sixth and two in the eighth.

The Mariners scored twice more in the eighth to extend their lead to 5-2. Closer Tom Gordon came on for the Sox in the 9th despite the three run deficit; it didn’t go well. Gordon allowed two more runs while only retiring one batter before being relieved by Rich Garces. The Sox found themselves trailing 7-2 with just half an inning to go.

Randy Johnson had 15 strike outs over 8 innings. (Photo by Mitchell Layton)

Epic Comeback

Randy Johnson was absolutely dealing, striking out 15 Red Sox over his eight innings. However, having thrown 132 pitches, he wasn’t coming back out for the ninth. The Mariners bullpen had been struggling to protect leads in recent seasons, but five runs was a big lead. They started with former Red Sox, the ultimate disaster that was known as Heathcliff Slocumb. If ever the Red Sox were going to make a comeback, facing Slocumb was a great place to start.

Troy O’Leary pinch-hit for Damon Buford with a broken-bat single. O’Leary’s first son had been born the day before and he had not been back with the team for long before the game. Another player just joining the team, Mark Lemke, drew a walk in his first game with the team to put the first two men on base. A run-scoring double by Darren Bragg made Lou Piniella decide he’d had enough of Slocumb. After a bit of gamesmanship, Mike Benjamin drew a walk versus lefty-specialist Tony Fossas and the bases were loaded, still no one out.

Another pitching change brought Mike Timlin into the game. That’s former Red Sox, former Red Sox, future Red Sox for Mariners 9th inning pitchers. Nomar Garciaparra lined a 2-strike pitch into center for another run scored; 7-4. On a 3-2 pitch, Timlin clipped Valentin with a pitch to bring another run home. Another pitcher down, zero outs recorded, and the ever dangerous Mo Vaughn strolling to the plate. Fenway was rocking.

Piniella called upon another lefty-specialist in Paul Spoljaric, hoping to give Mo fits with the lefty look. After all, Mo had struck out three times against Randy Johnson that afternoon. Spoljaric got ahead with a first pitch strike, but he wouldn’t sneak another one past Mo.

Down 7-2 entering the bottom of the 9th, the Sox scored 7 runs without making an out in an incredible comeback capped by perennial MVP candidate Mo Vaughn’s grand slam. Among games from the nineties, this game sticks out as one of the first in my mind. The most memorable home opener I can remember, and possibly in team history.

Featured picture courtesy of Bostonglobe.com

https://bostonsportsextra.com/boston-red-sox/2018/04/day-red-sox-history-april-6-1973

https://bostonsportsextra.com/boston-red-sox/2018/04/day-red-sox-history-april-8-1969

The Worst Relief Pitchers in Red Sox History

Jerry Stephenson

Stephenson was a swingman for the Red Sox during the 1960’s. He both started and relieved during his time, but was a disaster in both roles. Stephenson was 8-19 with a 5.54 ERA and 1.68 WHIP while with the Red Sox. This was during the sports best era to be a pitcher since the dead-ball era. These numbers led to a -4.4 WAR for the Red Sox, an astoundingly bad number for a pitcher. Stephenson was even worse as a reliever, posting a 6.65 ERA and 1.92 WHIP in that role.

Ramiro Mendoza

Mendoza pitched for the Red Sox for two seasons, but it was like he was still employed by the Yankees. After spending seven seasons in New York as an effective long reliever, Mendoza was given a 2 year 6.5 million dollar deal by the Red Sox. With the Yankees, Mendoza could come in after a starting pitcher was knocked out early and keep the opponent at bay for several innings while the Yankees clawed their way back into the game. He did it to the Red Sox on multiple occasions.

Mendoza went 16-8 with a 3.60 ERA over his final two seasons with the Yankees. After switching sides of the rivalry, supposedly, Mendoza posted a 6.75 ERA and 1.77 WHIP in 2003 for the Red Sox. Mendoza did bounce back in 2004 in half a season. He missed about half the year and was not trusted in high leverage situations once he was back. He also faltered down the stretch, allowing eight runs in September and October after allowing four prior to that. Mendoza finished his Red Sox career 5-6 with a 5.73 ERA.

Did Ramiro Mendoza ever really trade in his pinstripes? (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Eric Gagne

Gagne was the Red Sox big acquisition for the stretch run in 2007. The Red Sox were the best team in baseball that year but needed another reliable bullpen arm in the later innings. Gagne wasn’t quite the dominant force he had been in Los Angeles when he set the record for most consecutive successful save opportunities, but he was still a good pitcher.

From 2002-05 he was 14-7 with a 1.83 ERA and 160 saves. Gagne missed most of 2006, only pitching two innings. Texas took a chance on him in 2007 and he rewarded them, going 2-0 with a 2.16 ERA and 16 saves. Texas cashed him in for a few prospects with David Murphy turning out to be the best of the bunch. Murphy went on to have a solid career for the Rangers, while the Red Sox got nothing out of Gagne. Over 20 games Gagne had a 6.75 ERA and a 1.88 WHIP for the Red Sox. Then in the postseason, Gagne allowed three earned runs over 4.1 innings pitched. He was anything but the reliable setup man the Sox thought they were receiving.

Bringing in Eric Gagne was like punting the game. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)

Craig Hansen

Hansen was the Red Sox 26th overall pick in the 2005 draft. He was supposed to be a rapid riser through the system, a near Major League ready arm. Because of this belief, I think the Red Sox pushed him quicker than was warranted. Hansen made four appearances late that same season. The next season he pitched well overall in the minors, but showed underlying control issues. The Red Sox called him up anyways and he proven unready. Hansen had a 6.63 ERA in the Major Leagues in 2006.

The Red Sox, realizing they may not have allowed Hansen to develop, left him in the minors for all of 2007. This late attempt at a correction didn’t have much effect as Hansen had a 5.58 ERA and almost as many walks as strike outs in 2008. He was then including in the three team deal at the deadline that season that involved Manny Ramirez and Jason Bay. Hansen finished his Red Sox career with a 6.15 ERA and 1.67 WHIP.

Craig Hansen of the Red Sox during a game against the Orioles on May 30, 2008 at Camden Yards. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)

Todd Frohwirth

Frohwirth was as bad as can be while with the Red Sox. He pitched in 26.2 innings for the Red Sox, and 52 innings for the PawSox. Frohwirth came to the Red Sox after spending three seasons with the division rival Orioles. In Baltimore, he was 17-13 with a 2.71 ERA, so there was reason to be in favor of the acquisition.

Todd Frohwirth had an 0-3 record with the Red Sox in 1994, pitching to an unsightly 10.80 ERA and 2.14 WHIP. Usually pitching two innings or less, Frohwirth allowed three or more runs in four appearances out of 22. After pitching to an ERA north of 10 by June 10th, the Red Sox sent him to the minors. When he returned in August he was no better, allowing 10 runs, seven earned over five innings. He was so bad I remember friends and family referring to him as Todd “throw up.”

Despite a successful three year stint in the Baltimore bullpen, Frohwirth spent a chunk of the 1994 season in Pawtucket.

Dishonorable Mentions:

Skip Lockwood, Mark Melancon, Heathcliff Slocumb, John Wasdin, Matt Mantei, Lenny Dinardo, Emerson Dickman, David Aardsma, Arnold Earley

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