Tuesday, April 24, 2018

Shocker! David Ortiz Asked To Be Traded From The Red Sox In Early 2003

(Getty Images)
Holy Curse Of The Bambino! In a shocking interview on MLB Executive Access, former Red Sox GM Theo Epstein revealed that the agent for David Ortiz asked for a trade in the early part of the 2003 season. With Kevin Millar and Bill Mueller already capably manning the two corner infield spots, Boston was faced with a choice of Ortiz or Shea Hillenbrand at DH. Through the first two months, the eventual Big Papi had limited at-bats and just two HRs. Faced with the continuation of this situation, Ortiz asked to be traded. Luckily, Epstein chose Ortiz over Hillenbrand (although Shea was coming off a huge 2002 campaign). Boston sent Hillenbrand west to Arizona and got RP Byung-Hyun Kim. The Ortiz guy stayed. You know the rest.