2005’s boondoggle
Last we checked on the 2005 Minnesota Twins, they had hit the skids in June—enough for U of M Morris’ finest beat writer to label them Hitless Wonders. But over the next few weeks fortunes turned and by July 11 the Twins were 48-38—a solid record, if still 9 GB the surging Chicago White Sox.
It was on that fateful day the team targeted Bret Boone to goose a struggling lineup, acquiring him via trade (for minor league P Andy Baldwin) with the Seattle Mariners. It became one of the most notorious—if blessedly short-lived—boondoggles in team history.
But let’s rewind for a moment.
From 1998-2004 with the Cincinnati Reds, Atlanta Braves, San Diego Padres, & Mariners, Boone was a borderline MLB superstar. His seasonal average in that span: 151 G, 33 2B, 26 HR, 97 RBI, .276 BA, .810 OPS, 112 OPS+, 3.3 WAR. A “solid B+” player if one ever existed.
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In 2001 alone, Boone bashed 37 bombs and led the league with 141 RBI to the tune of a 153 OPS+ & 8.8 WAR—finishing third in AL MVP balloting.
Boone was also—quite literally—bred to be a Major League Baseball player: grandson of Ray Boone (MLB player), son of Bob Boone (MLB player/manager), and brother to Aaron Boone (MLB player/manager). An impressive pedigree.
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Why would a player of Boone’s caliber be available at the ‘05 All-Star Break? For starters, the Mariners would finish 69-93 that season—so they were definitely dealers. Besides that, Bret had slumped to an 85 OPS+ in 302 PA—and was 36 years old.
Yet, just a season removed from 24 homers & 80 RBI, Boone seemed a solid shot-in-the-arm for a struggling Twins squad—the likes of Nick Punto, Luis Rivas, Juan Castro, Luis Rodriguez, Jason Bartlett, & Brent Abernathy were not cutting the middle-infield mustard.
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It didn’t work—and the proportions to which it didn’t work were startling.
In 58 PA spanning 14 G with MN, Boone collected exactly 9 hits (driving in 3 runs)—none of which went for extra bases. A 12 OPS+ (yes, the number goes that low) was the end result.
On August 1, Bret was banished from Minnesota baseball (he never returned to MLB). On that day, the Twins found themselves at 54-51 and 15.5 GB the ChiSox—the competitive portion of the season now over and Boone a handy scapegoat.
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What caused such a precipitous career tailspin? Well, Boone was name-dropped in Jose Canseco’s PED book. That’s one theory. But of course, damning on Canseco’s word alone is about as safe as taking your side-chick to a Coldplay concert. So who knows.
Just this year, Boone popped up as hitting coach of the Texas Rangers. It isn’t exactly working out: TEX is 23rd in runs scored and 27th in team OPS.
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Because of its relatively minor stakes and short shelf-life, the Bret Boone trade is certainly not the worst in Twins history. But for those high off back-to-back-to-back AL Central crowns, Boone sunk the notion home that the division would have a new king in 2005.
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