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PawSox lose Moss in trade |
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Friday, 01 August 2008 |
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By BRENDAN MCGAIR Sports writer PAWTUCKET – His head swimming with varying emotions, Brandon Moss sought to get in contact with his wife, Allison.
Turns out Allison beat her husband to the punch. She already knew Moss was on his way to Pittsburgh, part of a three-team blockbuster that featured Manny Ramirez as the centerpiece. The Red Sox found a taker for Ramirez in the Dodgers with Jason Bay coming to Boston. Craig Hansen, a teammate of Moss’ in Pawtucket and Boston, is also on his way to Western Pennsylvania.
“She already knew,” said Moss with a chuckle. “I say ‘You ruined that one.’”
It's no secret Boston was actively shopping Ramirez. The shocking part comes from Moss being one of the chips the Red Sox used to unload the malcontent left fielder.
Drafted by Boston in the eighth round in 2002, Moss admitted to being caught off-guard when PawSox manager Ron Johnson beckoned for him to come in from the outfield. The motion came some 50 minutes after 4 o’clock trading deadline, though the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette had the deal already complete (with Moss’ name included) shortly after four.
Next thing Moss knows, he’s in Johnson’s office on a conference call with Boston general manager Theo Epstein, vice president of player personnel Ben Cherington and farm director Mike Hazen.
“It was getting to be five o’clock, and I don’t know exactly what (Johnson's motion means). I had no clue; I honestly think I wasn’t getting traded,” said Moss after he had a few minutes to digest the news. “Right now I’ve got to pack my (baseball gear) and my house.”
Johnson had his cell phone on the field, just in case. The phone rang while throwing batting practice, but it didn’t take long for him to discard the call and slip it into his back pocket.
“I thought everything was dead because it was past four,” said Johnson. “(Hazen) did mention to keep my cell phone close.”
Johnson’s original lineup had Moss penciled in to bat third and start at first base, where he was fielding grounders prior to batting practice. “We’ll just change the lineup around,” said the skipper.
PawSox pitcher David Pauley was the first to come up to Moss and offer congratulations. Outfielder Sean Danielson shouted across the clubhouse, “Take off that Red Sox gear.”
Saying aloud he needed to call his better half, Moss’ was put at ease when pitcher Chris Smith came up and said he had one less thing to worry about. That brought a sigh of relief before Moss went to check his cell phone, which was loaded was missed calls and voicemails.
“I don’t know how all those people knew already, but they did,” said Moss. “I guess news travels fast.”
While it’s tough to make a clean break from the only organization he’s ever known, Moss understands that not much changes other than his address.
“I’ve basically grown up in this organization; I’ve been here for six years since I was 18-years-old,” said Moss. “Our part of the business is the easy part, playing the game. Let everyone else take care of the other stuff.”
“It’s a business, but it’s also a fraternity,” said Johnson. “(Moss) isn’t the first player I’ve seen get traded, but it could turn out to be a great opportunity for Brandon and Craig.
“Hopefully the biggest thing is that we’ve rectifying the problems we have in the major leagues,” continued Johnson, no doubt referencing the albatross the Red Sox have been carrying the past few weeks in Ramirez.
The key word is opportunity, which puts Moss in the same boat as David Murphy. Murphy emerged into an everyday player with the Texas Rangers, a role that wouldn’t have been available had he remained with the Red Sox.
“That’s exactly what I hope to do,” said Moss when Murphy was brought up.
Moss was unsure whether he would report directly to Pittsburgh or Triple-A Indianapolis. He won’t be walking into a completely new setting. Pirates closer Matt Capps is someone he knows from their days growing up in Georgia. “We grew up 30 minutes from each other.”
As he prepared to load his belongings into a bag, Moss was asked to reflect on being included in the same deal as a future Hall of Famer in Ramirez. “I’m sure this was tough for the Red Sox; Manny has done a lot.”
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 09 August 2008 )
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