Yesterday, Alex Speier of WEEI.com gave us a fascinating look at last August's blockbuster trade between the Red Sox and the Dodgers. It turns out that one of the biggest deals in recent memory came together rather quickly and Boston could have gone down a number of other paths that would have altered the future of both franchises. One year later, both teams are pretty happy with the way things turned out. Here's the latest out of the NL West, including more on the Dodgers..
- The Dodgers took a significant gamble in the Boston blockbuster and it has paid off, writes Bill Dwyre of the Los Angeles Times. While GM Ned Colletti & Co. knew that they would have lots of money to work with thanks to the new ownership group, they weren't expecting anything on this scale. “They were pushing to go,” Colletti said. “I had my staff with me, standing there, right in the back of this booth. They looked at me, kind of stunned, and said, ‘Can we really do this?’”
- Aside from Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford, a pair of former Red Sox farmhands are also thriving in L.A., notes Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal. Pitcher Stephen Fife and catcher Tim Federowicz came over to the Dodgers as a part of the three-team 2011 Erik Bedard deal.
- Flyball pitcher Ian Kennedy is enthusiastic about playing within the confines of Petco Park with the Padres, writes Dennis Lin of U-T San Diego.
