Trading Jacob deGrom to the Boston Red Sox
Jacob deGrom literally can’t buy a win right now despite being completely dominant. Just take a second to think about what the Boston Red Sox would look like if he was doing what he’s currently doing in Beantown, though.
Well, it almost happened. It’s a good thing Sandy Alderson double-checked before he committed to anything.
Kelly Shoppach ended up having a brief tenure with the Mets toward the end of 2012, and as it turns out, that eventual transaction was a few months in the making. Peter Gammons of GammonsDaily detailed how things went down between Alderson and former Boston GM, Ben Cherington:
In May, 2012, the Red Sox were working on a deal with the Mets for catcher Kelly Shoppach. Ben Cherington asked Sandy Alderson for a soon-to-be 24-year-old righthanded pitcher in the Florida State League who had missed the 2011 season after surgery. The name? Jacob deGrom. Alderson seemed comfortable with the original idea, but checking with his minor league people caused him to tell Cherington he had second thoughts. So, finally, Boston received Pedro Beato. Second thoughts that may have altered two franchises’ histories.
DeGrom has seen his name get thrown into the rumor mill more than he probably expected. Still, the thought of him not even being in the organization for the past few years is mind-blowing.
This somehow didn’t get on my radar when it was reported in 2015, but I suppose that’s because I was too focused on the mess New York was in before they landed Yoenis Cespedes en route to a National League pennant.
That was fun. Ahhh, simpler times.
