Blockbust deal between Dodgers and Red Sox is completed

There was a blockbuster deal between the Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers which was completed on Friday and made official on Saturday.  The final hurdles were getting Josh Beckett and Carl Crawford to waive their no trade clauses.  The medicals also had to be signed off on.  This is one big deal that is hard to fathom but it was accomplished. 

The Dodgers who have a new ownership group led by Magic Johnson are trying to make a splash and boy are they ever.  They aquired Hanley Ramirez from the Miami Marlins last month and now this.  They should be the favorite to win the NL West now and they trail the San Francisco Giants by a couple of games. 

The Red Sox are cleaning house and starting over.  I think from their perspective it is the right way to go.  They are saving so much money and won't be hamstrung now from doing other things.  They weren't going to win with that group that didn't want to play for Bobby Valentine and also collapsed last year leading to Terry Francona getting fired.  The Red Sox are a real mess but now they can rebuild and try to bring them back to prominance, it may take a few years but they feel in the long run it will be worth it. 

The deal is Adrian Gonzales who the Dodgers were looking at since April, Josh Beckett, Carl Crawford and Nick Punto.  The Red Sox get back James Loney who is a first baseman, the Dodgers fell out of favor with him.  Allen Webster a minor league pitcher, Ivan DeJesus Jr. a minor league infielder and two players to be named later. 

We understand that you have to spend money to be good in this league,” said Magic Johnson, the former NBA star who is part of the rich new Dodgers ownership group that has dramatically revamped their roster in the last month.