The Boston Red Sox decision to trade Rafael Devers ahead of the Major League Baseball Trade Deadline is not the first time the team has made an in-season move that featured the departure of a beloved superstar in Boston. While the Cubs have indirect connections to the Red Sox's decision to trade Devers, they are directly involved with another infamous Red Sox trade that was nearly as surprising.
At the deadline in 2024, the Cubs and Red Sox were involved in a trade that saw Boston send star shortstop Nomar Garciaparra to Chicago. It was a four-team deal, involving the Minnesota Twins and Montreal Expos. As part of the deal, the Red Sox landed shortstop Orlando Cabrera and first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz
Nomar Garciaparra trade is back in the spotlight
The move for Garciappara didn't exactly pan out in the way the Cubs were hoping. After finishing the 2024 season with a slash line of .297/.364/.455/109 OPS+ in 185 plate appearances with the Cubs, the beloved former Red Sox shortstop only appeared in 62 games for the Cubs in 2005, registering an OPS+ under 100. The Cubs failed to make the postseason in either year.
Meanwhile, Cabrera and Mientkiewicz were key additions to the Red Sox World Series run in 2004. Along those lines, that is the reason why the Devers trade has a very different feel to it for the Red Sox. While Garciaparra was a star in his own right, the Red Sox came away from the trade still in a position to contend for the World Series with an emphasis on a defensive upgrade at shortstop. Fast forward to 2025, the Red Sox are not a better team today than they were on Sunday morning when Devers was still on their roster.
Included in the Garciaparra trade for the Cubs was outfield prospect Matt Murton. First making his debut with the Cubs in 2005, Murton slashed .294/.362/.448 in just over 4 seasons with the Cubs before he was dealt in 2008. Murton never quite developed the power that many projected he would have at the Major League level. Murton never appeared in the Major Leagues again following his 2009 run with the Colorado Rockies.
