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UPDATE (June 16, 2025): Little did I know.
It’s been just four months since this post was sent out into the ether, but a ton has changed ever since the “publish” button was clicked. I was a young, brash, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed writer back then, but the last four months have turned me into a hard-nosed, grizzled veteran of the business.
(I wish this was more of a joke than it actually is.)
I thought this post would be a bit more evergreen than it ended up being, but that’s nothing that a late entry can’t fix! Can you guess where we’re headed?
Devers’ shipment from one coast to another wasn’t just surprising, but perhaps the biggest shock that any of us have felt since the infamous Nomar Garciaparra trade of 2004. The Red Sox soured on the face of their franchise over the course of a few rocky months, and elected to send him away rather than solve whatever issues had reached a boiling point.
We saw the tension start to bubble, but did anyone think this was going to happen?
ORIGINAL STORY (Feb. 9, 2025): The Dallas Mavericks shocked the world on Saturday, making the still-unbelievable decision to trade superstar Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers.
It’s probably one of the most shocking trades in the history of sports, which got us thinking about the most shocking trades in the history of Boston sports.
Let’s discuss, shall we?
Rodriguez is now one of the biggest villains in Boston’s long and illustrious sports history, but there was once a time when he seemed destined to become the city’s biggest star.
The Red Sox had a deal in place to acquire the superstar shortstop from the Texas Rangers back in 2004, but it eventually fell through due to the MLBPA’s refusal to accept an amendment to his contract. The Yankees then swooped in to get a deal done, being motivated to pull the trigger after third baseman Aaron Boone tore his knee up playing pickup basketball — a truly shocking outcome at the time.
Garnett and Allen were technically acquired in two separate trades, but one quite literally needed to happen before the other.
The Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns were initially at the forefront of the sweepstakes to acquire the former, who had to sign off on any potential deal away from the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Celtics weren’t viewed as a legitimate option but found themselves in contention after acquiring Ray Allen from the Seattle SuperSonics. KG then reevaluated things and signed off on a deal to make a new Big Three.
Moss was the best wide receiver in the NFL, but two disappointing seasons with the Oakland Raiders (and some off-field troubles) forced him...
