According to WEEI’s Rob Bradford, the Rangers and Red Sox discussed a blockbuster trade that would have sent Jacoby Ellsbury, Josh Beckett and Kelly Shoppach to Texas for undisclosed players.
Two sources told Bradford of the talks, with one describing them as preliminary and another talking about them as more advanced before falling apart. If that’s true, the talks likely died before Monday night’s deal that sent Geovany Soto to Texas. The Rangers also acquired Ryan Dempster just before Tuesday’s deadline.
The Red Sox might not have needed much back in return for Beckett and Shoppach, but they would have wanted some top talent in exchange for Ellsbury, the 2011 AL MVP runner-up who won’t be a free agent until after next season. They may have even requested shortstop Jurickson Profar, who is regarded by many as the game’s top position prospect.
Alas, it wasn’t meant to be. The two teams could explore a deal again in the offseason if Ellsbury doesn’t prove amenable to a contract extension with the Red Sox.
