The Red Sox Acquire Pedro Martinez from Montreal

On November 18, 1997, the Boston Red Sox acquired right-hander Pedro Martinez from the Montreal Expos for pitchers Carl Pavano and Tony Armas Jr. The deal sent a reigning Cy Young Award winner to Boston and reshaped both franchises for years to come.

Martinez had just completed a dominant 1997 season with the Expos, going 17-8 with a 1.90 ERA and 305 strikeouts in 241.1 innings. He won the NL Cy Young Award at age 25, and Montreal knew they could not afford to keep him. The Expos had already watched Moises Alou, Larry Walker, Marquis Grissom, John Wetteland, and Ken Hill leave through trades or free agency. Martinez was next. Montreal general manager Jim Beattie extracted two young pitching prospects and let the best pitcher in baseball walk out the door.

The Red Sox immediately signed Martinez to a six-year, $75 million contract extension. He rewarded them with some of the most dominant pitching in the history of the game. From 1998 through 2003, Martinez posted a 117-37 record in Boston, won two more Cy Young Awards in 1999 and 2000, and anchored a staff that helped the franchise end its 86-year championship drought in 2004.

The trade was devastating for Montreal. Pavano showed flashes but spent significant time on the disabled list before eventually leaving as a free agent. Armas Jr. pitched parts of four seasons in Montreal without approaching Martinez's level. The Expos continued their slow decline toward relocation, becoming the Washington Nationals after the 2004 season.