Turkey Day Flashback: How the 2005 Red Sox-Marlins Blockbuster Trade Changed MLB

The NFL is as much of a fixture on Thanksgiving Day as tolerating stories from your in-laws while having to munch on overcooked turkey, but MLB entered the holiday chat 20 years ago.

On November 24, 2005, the Boston Red Sox and then-Florida Marlins – who won the 2004 and 2003 World Series, respectively – executed a blockbuster trade with substantial ramifications.

Here are the details of the trade and how the move panned out for both clubs:

The Trade

Boston Red Sox receive: RHP Josh Beckett, 3B Mike Lowell and RHP Guillermo Mota
Florida Marlins receive: SS Hanley Ramirez, RHP Anibal Sanchez, RHP Jesus Delgado and Harvey Garcia

How the Trade Fared for Boston

Just one year removed from winning their first World Series in 86 years, Boston made the bold move for, most notably, the MVP of the 2003 World Series in Beckett and one of the best third basemen in the sport in Lowell.

Roughly two years after the trade, the Red Sox won the 2007 World Series. After a rocky first year in Boston, Beckett, the No. 2 pick in the 1999 MLB Draft, rebounded in 2007, posting a 3.27 ERA, an American League-best 6.5 wins above replacement among pitchers and winning 20 games. He followed that up by posting a mere 1.20 ERA and 0.70 WHIP in four starts in the 2007 postseason. The esteemed right-hander was up and down across his six-plus seasons in Boston overall, but Beckett still managed to earn three All-Star nods and post at least 5 WAR in each of those seasons (2007, 2009 and 2011). 

Across his first four years with the Red Sox, Lowell was a consistent force at the plate, averaging 18.8 home runs and 87 RBIs per season, while posting a combined .295/.350/.479 slash line. Furthermore, after hitting .324, driving in a team-high 120 runs and earning an All-Star nod in the 2007 regular season, the steady, right-handed hitter went off in the postseason, driving in 15 runs, posting a .353/.410/.608 slash line and winning 2007 World Series MVP honors.

Beckett finished his MLB career with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2014 after being traded by the Red Sox in 2012; Lowell’s last season in Boston, 2010, was his last in the sport; Mota ultimately never pitched for the Red Sox, as he was moved in a separate trade two months later.

How the Trade Fared for Miami

A young star pitcher and a third baseman in his prime are difficult to replace, but the Marlins, who made this trade with the intention of shedding payroll, got a pair of reputable players for Beckett and Lowell.

Ramirez quickly became one of the most electric players in MLB after being called up full-time in 2006, a year which saw the shortstop win National League Rookie of the Year honors. He swung an impact bat from the right side, flew around the basepaths and was a star. From 2006-10, Ramirez averaged 24.8 home runs, 77.8 RBIs, 39.2 stolen bases and a 5.2 WAR per season and posted a combined .313/.385/.521 slash line. Ramirez earned three All-Star nods, two Silver Slugger awards and won the 2009 NL batting title with the Marlins, hitting .342 and posting a career-best 7.4 WAR. The Marlins traded Ramirez to the Dodgers during the 2012 season with the shortstop, ironically, later joining the Red Sox for the 2015 season as a free agent.

Sanchez made his MLB debut in 2006 and would later emerge as a reliable, middle-to-top-of-the-rotation arm for Florida. The finesse starter habitually worked out of trouble and recorded a combined 3.66 ERA with the Marlins from 2009-11 before being traded to the Detroit Tigers during the 2012 season. Elsewhere, Delgado only made two MLB appearances out of the bullpen for the Marlins, while Garcia made just eight.

Of course, the Florida Marlins – who became the Miami Marlins in the 2012 season – didn’t make the playoffs for 17 years (2020) following their 2003 World Series triumph, while Boston has won three titles since the trade, in 2007, 2013 and 2018.

Sports are brutal.

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