The Boston Red Sox have made it clear they are looking to make a fresh start after trading four of their highest-paid players to the LA Dodgers, in a trade that has been seen by fans betting MLB as one of the league’s biggest in decades.

Starting pitcher Josh Beckett, first baseman, Adrian Gonzalez, left fielder, Carl Crawford, and infielder, Nick Punto, have left Boston to sign for the Dodgers, with James Loney, Ivan De Jesus, Allen Webster, and two as yet unnamed players heading the other way to join the Red Sox.

While the deal will strengthen the Dodgers’ squad as they prepare for their playoff hopes, it will give the Red Sox a chance to rebuild after a tough couple of years.

This season has been another write-off for the Boston faithful, and general manager, Ben Cherington, has made it clear that these wholesale changes have been made in order to get the club back to where they need to be.

"I think we recognize that we are not who we want to be right now," said Cherrington.

"We needed to make more than cosmetic changes. To build that we required more of a bold move to give us an opportunity to really reshape the roster, reshape the team."

It is fair to say that not many of the Red Sox squad can be happy with how they have performed over this season, but this trade has still come as a shock to many in the game.

With a saving of around $270 million in salaries, the Red Sox have a great chance to now go and assemble a squad capable of getting the franchise back into the big time, with Cherrington knowing this could be the defining moment in Boston’s history.

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