Saturday, July 23, 2005
Red Sox Trade Hub-Deadline Deals Recalled: Nomah, Roberts:
"'We had been talking to the Cubs about a Nomar deal, different variations of a Nomar deal,' Theo Epstein, the Red Sox general manager, recalled. 'We never really got close on anything heading to the 30th. We told the Cubs we'd be more inclined to do the deal if they could deliver not just Cabrera but also Mientkiewicz. We felt we needed to improve our infield defense.'
Epstein said he and Jim Hendry, the Cubs' general manager, also talked about the possibility of swapping pitchers, Derek Lowe for Matt Clement. 'But we decided to keep Lowe, feeling he would benefit from our improved infield defense,' he said.Before any deal could be made, the Cubs had to match up with the Expos on a trade for Cabrera and with the Twins for a deal for Mientkiewicz. 'The biggest hurdle was to get Omar to give up Cabrera,' Epstein said, referring to Omar Minaya, who was the Expos' general manager. 'They didn't really have a fit.'To get everything done, Epstein said, the Red Sox had to give the Cubs a minor league outfielder, Matt Murton, so the Cubs would give a minor league infielder, Brendan Harris, to the Expos so they would put Cabrera in the trade. 'It went down to the last seconds,' Epstein said. So did the Boston deal with the Dodgers for center fielder Roberts.
THE STEAL
'We were very concerned about Trot Nixon's health,' Epstein said. 'We had Gabe Kapler to play right, but we wanted a left-hand hitter to platoon. We had a list of about 10 guys, some in the minors.'Paul DePodesta, the Dodgers' general manager, called Epstein and said he was making a deal for center fielder Steve Finley, freeing the Dodgers to trade Roberts. 'He gave us a list of eight players,' Epstein said. 'We made the deal five minutes before the deadline."(Chass, NYT)
"'We had been talking to the Cubs about a Nomar deal, different variations of a Nomar deal,' Theo Epstein, the Red Sox general manager, recalled. 'We never really got close on anything heading to the 30th. We told the Cubs we'd be more inclined to do the deal if they could deliver not just Cabrera but also Mientkiewicz. We felt we needed to improve our infield defense.'
Epstein said he and Jim Hendry, the Cubs' general manager, also talked about the possibility of swapping pitchers, Derek Lowe for Matt Clement. 'But we decided to keep Lowe, feeling he would benefit from our improved infield defense,' he said.Before any deal could be made, the Cubs had to match up with the Expos on a trade for Cabrera and with the Twins for a deal for Mientkiewicz. 'The biggest hurdle was to get Omar to give up Cabrera,' Epstein said, referring to Omar Minaya, who was the Expos' general manager. 'They didn't really have a fit.'To get everything done, Epstein said, the Red Sox had to give the Cubs a minor league outfielder, Matt Murton, so the Cubs would give a minor league infielder, Brendan Harris, to the Expos so they would put Cabrera in the trade. 'It went down to the last seconds,' Epstein said. So did the Boston deal with the Dodgers for center fielder Roberts.
THE STEAL
'We were very concerned about Trot Nixon's health,' Epstein said. 'We had Gabe Kapler to play right, but we wanted a left-hand hitter to platoon. We had a list of about 10 guys, some in the minors.'Paul DePodesta, the Dodgers' general manager, called Epstein and said he was making a deal for center fielder Steve Finley, freeing the Dodgers to trade Roberts. 'He gave us a list of eight players,' Epstein said. 'We made the deal five minutes before the deadline."(Chass, NYT)
