What a difference a year makes

The new ownership couldn’t wait to make a splash.

The day was August 25, 2012 and nobody knew the kind of storm that was about to rock Major League Baseball. The Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers agreed on a trade that sent Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford, Josh Beckett, Nick Punto and their combined $260 million-plus contracts to Los Angeles. It was one of the biggest deals in sports history just because of the money involved, not to mention the players.

In exchange for Gonzalez, Beckett, Punto, and Cawford, the Dodgers traded long-time first baseman James Loney and minor leaguers. From a skill standpoint, the Dodgers got a steal but the deal helped the Red Sox shed a ton of salary to put them in a more flexible financial position.

When the deal was made, both the Red Sox and Dodgers didn’t look primed for the playoffs — neither made it into the postseason in 2012. Fast forward a year later and both teams are at the top of their respective divisions with the playoffs in sight.

The Red Sox started off the 2013 season hot and haven’t looked back.

The Dodgers, on the other hand, were 9.5 games back of the division lead in June. Injuries and a lack of excitement in the clubhouse made things pretty glum for the bums and their fans.

With injuries to multiple outfielders, Yasiel Puig was called-up. Since he and Hanley Ramirez started playing together, the Dodgers have been on a hot streak and don’t seem to be looking back. The Dodgers now hold a 9.5 game lead of their own in a miraculous and historic turnaround. Before a few recent losses, they had gone 42-8 over a 50 game stretch, something that hadn’t been done in the past 100 years.

Could it be possible for the Dodgers and Red Sox to meet up in the fall classic just a year after the huge trade? Yes, it is very possible and many people would love to watch that matchup. But for now, all we as fans can do is sit back and watch because both of these teams in their own way are fun to watch.