This is great news! And one of the best deals in recent history. Boston will probably sell all their season tickets next week. Boston got the number one free agent available this year without giving up a single major league roster player. Theo Epstein is a genius.
Gonzalez is a Golden Glove award winner multiple times; is probably the next best hitter to Albert Puljos; his batting numbers will probably go up at least 20 to 25% by playing in Fenway Park; and he's only 28 years old.
But the sweetest part of the deal was hearing him say he looks forward to "beat[ing] the Yankees."
From the NYTimes:
ORLANDO, Fla. — "Two years ago, when San Diego Padres General Manager Jed Hoyer was an assistant to Theo Epstein, the general manager of the Red Sox, he experienced visceral disappointment when Mark Teixeira, then a free agent, spurned Boston’s offer at the last moment and instead signed with the Yankees, a defining moment in the recent histories of both teams.
Hoyer described the event as a kick in the stomach, and explained how the Red Sox had been searching for a slugging first baseman with above-average defensive skills for years. When Teixeira was lost to Boston, the next player on the list became Adrian Gonzalez, whom the Sox pursued with even more resolve, until they finally acquired him from Hoyer and the Padres on Sunday in a trade for three of Boston’s top minor league prospects.
“It’s something that has been on the wish list for a long time there,” Hoyer said of his old team. “Part of it probably was they missed out on Teixeira; they weren’t going to miss out on another one.”
Gonzalez officially became a member of the Red Sox and was introduced at a news conference Monday at Fenway Park, and within moments of donning his new cap and jersey, he said the words at the core of the deal, if not at the core of virtually everything the Red Sox do.
“I’m very excited that everything was able to be worked out,” he said, “and I’m very excited to be here in Boston, and ready to beat the Yanks.”
The Red Sox sent pitcher Casey Kelly, first baseman Anthony Rizzo and outfielder Reymond Fuentes, a cousin of Mets center fielder Carlos Beltran, to San Diego for Gonzalez.
But even with their biggest acquisition since Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell from the Florida Marlins five years ago, the Red Sox will still be searching for more talent to fortify their lineup, and most likely will continue their pursuit of the dynamic free-agent outfielder Carl Crawford, even while making a significant financial commitment to Gonzalez."
Thanks for the early Holiday gift, Theo!
