Though not yet approved by Major League Baseball, the Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers have agreed upon one of the biggest August blockbuster trades in history.
In what can only be deemed as a salary dump, the Red Sox are sending first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, starting pitcher Josh Beckett, outfielder Carl Crawford and shortstop Nick Punto to the Dodgers. In return, the Dodgers are sending first baseman James Loney, pitchers Rubby De La Rosa and Allen Webster, first baseman/outfielder Jerry Sands and second baseman/third baseman Ivan De Jesus Jr. over to Boston.
The trade was first reported by Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal and represents a complete starting-over point for the Red Sox after two seasons of bitter disappointment. A year after a historic September collapse, Boston struggled all of 2012 to get going and is now 13.5 games behind the New York Yankees in the AL East at 60-66.
With Loney eligible to become a free agent, Boston’s haul in this deal will center on the four young prospects. Though the right-hander Webster may be the most touted guy coming to Boston, De Jesus Jr. is a former top prospect with a ton to prove.
With that in mind, here’s everything you need to know about the 25-year-old.
De Jesus’ Father Played in the Major Leagues for 15 Seasons
A shortstop, Ivan De Jesus Sr. played for seven teams in his career, most notably for the Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies. A career .254 hitter, the elder De Jesus was best known for his defense and speed, stealing over 40 bases with the Cubs in both 1978 and 1980.
And, like his son, De Jesus Sr. was also involved in some pretty notable trades. As a member of the Dodgers, he was involved in a trade with Bill Buckner for Rick Monday. But, much more notably, he was the biggest piece in the Cubs’ legendary deal for Hall of Fame second baseman Ryne Sandberg in 1982.
That trade fundamentally altered the states of the Cubs and Phillies and is considered one of the worst moves in Philadelphia’s history.
He Was Once a Bat Boy in the Houston Astros‘ Organization
After his father’s playing days, De Jesus Sr. did what a ton of former baseball players do and turned to coaching.
In the mid-1990s when his father was with the Astros, the younger De Jesus had the lucky distinction of meeting some future Major League stars in the minor leagues as a bat boy.
Via the Ventura County Star:
The elder De Jesus later became a coach. When his father was a hitting instructor in the Houston Astros’ organization, De Jesus was a batboy for future major league players such as Lance Berkman, Aaron Miles and Tim Redding.
“When I was 19 years old, this little guy was taking grounders with me before games,” Miles said. “You knew he was going to be a special player.”
De Jesus Jr. Used to be One of the Dodgers’ Top Prospects
While his acquisition will go largely unheralded in this deal, De Jesus was once a shining star of the Dodgers organization.
A second-round pick in the 2005 draft, the young second baseman quickly moved up the ranks. In 2008, De Jesus had a career-best year in the minors, hitting .324 with an on-base percentage of .419 en route to being named to the All-Star Futures Game and Baseball America‘s All-Star second team.
Unfortunately for De Jesus, a broken leg derailed his 2009 season and the young prospect hasn’t been the same since.
If he can recapture his former glory, De Jesus, now 25 years old, could become the underrated star of this move for the Red Sox.
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