Welcome to the Red Sox Rundown’s new feature, What Happened to…, a weekly series bringing you up to date on former Red Sox players. Many of these players will be former prospects at home with a new team, while others will be veterans who faded into the horizon after leaving the Sox.
Pitcher Kason Gabbard is the subject of the first installment in the series. I still have nightmarish flashbacks to the ill-fated 2007 trade when Gabbard was shipped to the Rangers for reliever Eric Gagne. In retrospect, though, the trade makes sense. After all, it’s a well-known fact that all major league teams have a surplus of young, reliable pitching. And Boston’s need for a dominant closer was obvious in a year when Papelbon had 37 saves and a 1.85 ERA. OK, so that swap made about as much sense as, say, anything that comes out of the mouth of Manny Ramirez.
We all know how the deal worked out on Boston’s end: Eric Gagne spiraled downward so quickly he broke the sound barrier and, temporarily, our trust in Theo. But whatever happened to Gabbard? Although he went 1-3 in the 7 starts in 2006 for the Red Sox, his ERA a very respectable 3.51. In 7 starts for the big league club in 2007, Gabbard went 4-0 with a 3.73 ERA. Promising numbers, eh?
Gabbard has not lived up to that promise since leaving the Sox. He made 8 starts for Texas following the trade in 2007 and went 2-1 with a 5.58 ERA. In 2008, Gabbard made only twelve appearances and posted a mediocre 4.82 ERA and a record of 2-3. His season ended in June when he went on the disabled list with elbow inflammation, which was eventually diagnosed as bone spurs.
As ill-fated as the Eric Gagne trade was, it is unlikely that Gabbard would still be with the Red Sox had the trade never happened. Gabbard would have likely been thrown in another trade, as the Red Sox are currently stacked with up-and-coming pitchers like Justin Masterson, Michael Bowden, Charlie Zink, and 100-mph-man Daniel Bard. Theo Epstein probably made a wise decision trading Gabbard at the height of his value, it’s just too bad he couldn’t have gotten a player in return who had, uh, value.
It’s difficult to tell what the future holds for the 26-year-old pitcher. While 31 of his 34 major league appearances have been as a starter, he’s currently competing for a spot as a reliever for the Rangers characterized as “meaningless” by Yahoo Sports. After throwing a simulater game Wednesday, he reported feeling strong and was able to make his first Spring Training appearance today, but threw only 2/3 of an inning and gave up two earned runs after being slated to pitch a full inning. If Gabbard gets his health back, he could have a career as a number 4 or 5 starter or a long reliever. However, having half a season taken away by injury at age 26 is not a good omen. He’ll never be in the news as the latest Scott Boras client demanding an obscene amount of money, and for that we can be grateful.
Have a fave former Sox you’d like to see featured on the Red Sox Rundown? Post a comment or contact Emily here.
