By the end of the 2003 MLB season, shortstop Alex Rodriguez had amassed numerous individual awards, including All-Stars, Gold Gloves, and Silver Sluggers. Oh and not to forget, the richest contract in sports history, signing with the Texas Rangers as a free agent during the 2000-01 off-season for $252 million.
After watching “Money Ball”, the Texas Rangers front office, who was responsible for spending all of their money in one spot, figured that their team would be better off if they spread the wealth, rather than trying to surround A-Rod with minor league role players.
Despite his hefty price tag, teams were lined up seeking the services of the MVP-worthy infielder with a big bat. Two of those teams were the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees. While the Evil Empire would ultimately come away with the prize, as the MLB front office vetoed the Red Sox deal for financial reasons, we take a look at what if Alex Rodriguez went to the Boston Red Sox?
In a deal that saw Rodriguez move to Boston for Manny Ramirez, Jon Lester, and cash (two impact players who would help the team qualify for the postseason, ending the Rangers five-year drought), the Red Sox would add even more firepower to a lineup featuring David “Big Papi” Ortiz and Nomar Garciaparra. The impact of the trade wouldn’t just be felt in the lineup as the passionate Fenway Park faithful would run to the ticket office and team apparel stores to show their approval of the new look team.
As the 2004 season kicked off, baseball fans eagerly anticipated the clash between the Red Sox and their longtime rivals. The already intense feud would reach unprecedented levels with A-Rod playing a focal role with his new club and his head-to-head battle with Yankees legend Derek Jeter would become must-see TV.
Unable to acquire Rodriguez, who would go on to capture his second straight American League MVP, the Yankees would find a way to add firepower to their lineup and a defensive presence on the corner by signing free agent Adrian Beltre. With both teams battling for supremacy in the American League standings, each eclipsing the 100-victory mark, the Red Sox found themselves with home-field advantage heading into the much anticipated 2004 AL Championship Series.
With the teams trading victories over the course of the first six games of the series, fans at home were glued to their televisions, and each respective stadium was filled to capacity. The first six games between the Red Sox and Yankees featured many memorable moments. including Mike Mussina’s six perfect innings in Game 1, a dominating 22 hits by the Yankees in Game 2, Dave Roberts’s stolen base in Game 4, and Curt Schilling’s bloody sock in Game 6.
As over 35,000 fans jammed into Fenway Park, the “Curse of the Bambino” loomed. Not since 1986 had the Red Sox been to the World Series and the eighty-four-year drought since capturing a championship banner was all anyone could talk about heading into game day. Joining the Red Sox home run parade led by Johnny Damon’s two bombs out of the park, Rodriguez would cap off the night with a mighty blast over the Green Monster in left field, sending the Red Sox to what would be their six World Series title.
No longer haunted by the curse connected with the great Babe Ruth, a PED-clean Alex Rodriguez-led Red Sox would change the landscape of baseball forever. With the core of their lineup intact, the Red Sox would become the first team since the 1998-2000 Yankees to win back-to-back World Series titles, capturing the 2005 championship over the Houston Astros.
The ripple effect of the approved Red Sox / Rangers trade would alter the balance of power in the American League for years to come taking the focal point away from the Big Apple and ultimately rewriting the narrative of a team and changing the culture of a city haunted by superstition.
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