The Examination of Dan Duquette, Part Four:

The Red Sox entered 1997 in rebuilding mode. They had lost Roger Clemens, they had hired a new manager, and they weren't expected to contend . . . even among themselves. ("I don't think we're going to win the World Series this year," Duquette told an interviewer in spring training.) Thus they became sellers (of "experienced" talent) rather than buyers in '97, with sometimes spectacular results. Despite making what I feel is the second-worst trade of his stewardship (Sele to Texas), Duquette paved the way for the success of the late '90s and early '00s with a series of excellent moves.

A look at the 1997 trades:

JANUARY 27: Pitcher John Wasdin from Oakland for designated hitter Jose Canseco. Analysis: I confess, I confess: I was embarrassingly overoptimistic when this trade was made. (In fact, it took about 3 1/2 years for me to come to my senses about John Wasdin.) But there was no question Canseco couldn't return, not after some of the things he said in the wake of Kevin Kennedy's dismissal, and picking up a 24-year-old, former No. 1 draft choice -- who'd had a little taste of major-league success with a bad team -- was a reasonable gamble. Wasdin didn't pan out, obviously, but on the other hand Canseco never again hit as well as he did with the Sox. (Even his 46-homer, 107-RBI season in 1998 with the Blue Jays was dragged down by a .237 batting average and a pedestrian .836 OPS.) It wasn't until 1999 that the Sox found themselves in need of more offense, by which time Canseco was in Tampa. And let's not forget the fact that, except for '98, he consistently missed at least a third of every season because of injury. Long term benefit or harm: It wasn't a good trade -- Canseco, for all his faults, had more value than Wasdin -- but it didn't really hurt Boston, and the last few genes of this deal are still swimming in the '01 Sox in the person of Rolando Arrojo. On the other hand, none of Canseco's subsequent employers (Oakland, Toronto, Tampa Bay, the Yankees and Anaheim) have anything to show for him . . . which is something I noted, with some amazement, last August when discussing Canseco's Hall of Fame chances.

MAY 12: Pitcher Toby Borland from the New York Mets for pitcher Rick Trlicek. Analysis: A free tankard at Boston Beer Works to anybody who a) can remember why this trade was made, and/or b) speak intelligently about it. Long term benefit or harm: And if you can answer that one, make it two free tankards.

JULY 31: Pitcher Derek Lowe and catcher Jason Varitek from Seattle for pitcher Heathcliff Slocumb. Analysis: At last, Duquette's "philosophy" paid off, and talk about hitting the jackpot. If he had just traded Slocumb even up for either Lowe or Varitek, it would have been a terrific move; getting both of them made it a for-the-ages steal. Were they as crazy about baseball in Seattle as we are in Boston, they'd be still talking about this one in the simultaneously angry and funereal tones we reserve for Bagwell-for-Andersen. (You know, I write out that phrase so often that it's losing its impact. Let's shorten it to BFA. You'll know what I mean.) While neither Lowe nor Varitek is as good as Bagwell, obviously, Andersen -- even for the short month he was here -- was better than Slocumb. But to get a starting catcher and an All-Star closer for a meatball artist who was pitching poorly enough to be released . . . well, I guess the Sox paid the Mariners back for Bragg/Moyer. Long term benefit or harm: Varitek is still catching for the Sox and Lowe (after a short blip) is still closing. Just a great, great, great trade.

AUGUST 13: Pitcher Tony Armas Jr. and a player to be named later (pitcher Jim Mecir) from the New York Yankees for designated hitter Mike Stanley and shortstop Randy Brown. Analysis: After a year-and-a-half dry spell, Duquette was now on a roll. Although neither Armas nor Mecir ever contributed to the Red Sox -- in fact, neither ever set foot in Fenway Park as a member of the team -- they both played amazingly important, and long-term, roles in the franchise's recent history. Armas, of course, was part of the package that netted Pedro Martinez. And the Sox were both stunned and delighted when Tampa Bay selected Mecir in that fall's expansion draft, enabling them to keep some prospects -- including Trot Nixon -- they feared losing. As for Stanley, he was back in Boston within 12 months after failing to help the Yankees advance beyond the first round of the playoffs. It was win-win-win as far as the Sox were concerned. Long term benefit or harm: Another deal that has had a far-reaching, positive impact on the team.

NOVEMBER 6: Catcher Jim Leyritz and outfielder Damon Buford from Texas for pitchers Aaron Sele and Mark Brandenburg and catcher Bill Haselman. Analysis: And then The Duke stumbled. While you can understand -- and agree with -- the sentiment that Sele was never going to be as good in Boston as he might be where the lights weren't as bright and the pressure wasn't as heavy, he has proven to be worth far, far more than what Duquette and the Sox received for him. They completely overestimated Leyritz's ability to catch every day, then compounded the problem by getting next to nothing in return when they traded him (if "trade" is the right word; "donated" might be a better fit) in a fit of pique to San Diego after getting fed up with his constant whining. They got one good year (by Damon Buford standards) and one bad year out of Buford, then turned him into -- ack!! -- Manny Alexander. In the meantime, Sele, for all the (legitimate) talk of how much he's benefited from spectacular offensive support, has gone 60-30 since leaving Boston. Even Haselman has outperformed the players received by the Sox; he hit .314, .273 and .275 in part-time duty after the trade. Long term benefit or harm: Imagine a rotation headed by Martinez/Sele/Moyer? Forget Moyer; how about just Martinez/Sele? This one hurt, and hurt badly.

NOVEMBER 18: Pitcher Pedro Martinez from Montreal for pitchers Carl Pavano and Tony Armas Jr. Analysis: There's very little to analyze. When you have a chance to trade for a Hall of Fame-caliber pitcher -- and even more than that, a pitcher so utterly dominant that he dwarfs the competition, that he invites comparisons to the greatest of baseball's greats -- you do it. And you don't worry about what you give up, because the players you trade, no matter how good they may end up being, won't reside in the same solar system as Pedro Martinez. Long term benefit or harm: The benefits have been limitless. The harm has been nonexistent.

More tomorrow . . .