This column originally ran in The Standard-Times on Nov. 26, 2005.

By Nick Tavares

In Theo Epstein's wake, the Red Sox have kept one offseason tradition alive -- the Thanksgiving ace aquisition.

Two years after Epstein wooed Curt Schilling and his family to Boston at the supper table in Arizona, the Sox management crew completed a bona-fide blockbuster deal for pitchers Josh Beckett and Guillermo Mota and third-baseman Mike Lowell.

And in keeping with another tradition, the deal keeps the teams in the headlines again in the winter months.

The upside for the deal's prize, Beckett, is endless. Already a World Series winner, the big Texan has pitched in big situations with relative ease. Driving the final nail in the Yankees' 2003 season is the most memorable, but that same postseason saw him come out of the bullpen between starts to help erase the Cubs' dreams of a Series appearance, too.

With Jonathan Papelbon likely moving to the rotation next year, Boston has also dramatically solved its age problem on its starting staff. In a best-case scenario, the Sox could have Beckett, Papelbon and Jon Lester as their top three through the next decade.

Lowell at his best is a gold-glove third basemen who brings leadership and a potent bat to the middle of the Sox' lineup. If he's healthy and able to produce at his peak, he's a huge upgrade over the rock-steady Bill Mueller on both sides of the ball.

Mota, two years removed from the role of Eric Gagne's set-up man in Los Angeles, has the right stuff to be a dominating eighth-inning reliever, which should be music to Mike Timlin's ears.

The deal, though, isn't without its risks for Boston. Beckett has had some injury problems, but the real question has been his arm strength. By giving up this much talent, the Red Sox as an organization are banking on him to be their ace for the next five to 10 years. They're also hoping that in the short term Mike Lowell can provide enough pop behind David Ortiz to make up for the eventual, and seemingly inevitable, loss of Manny Ramirez.

Lowell is owed roughly $18 million through the next two seasons, but it's considerably less than the estimated $60 million owed to Manny over the next three. That money could be used to lock up Beckett long term, or possibly to re-sign Johnny Damon or another quality outfielder.

And Mota battled injuries and ineffectiveness after being installed in the closer's role. He won't assume that role to start the season, but if Keith Foulke goes down again, he'll be a big question mark in the ninth.

The biggest message this trade sends, though, is that the Sox will not slow down in Epstein's absence. According to mlb.com, a management team of Bill Lajoie, Jeremy Kapstein, Jed Hoyer, Peter Woodfork, Ben Cherington and Craig Shipley worked to propose and complete this deal. It not only dispells the notion that the franchise is a rudderless ship, it also provides a strong foundation for whoever becomes the new general manager.

On the other side, it could make the job less attractive to a candidate who would've been less willing to part with so much young talent at once. The thought of merely becoming a cog in a machine rather than having the chance to place an individual imprint could cause a qualified candidate to shy away.

Admittedly, though, that's not the most important part of the deal here. What is is that the Sox have shown they're willing to role the dice for 2006. By trading Hanley Ramirez and Anibal Sanchez, the team is gambling that Beckett will be more valuable to the team in five and 10 years than those two would.

Just a few weeks after Epstein's departure, life at Fenway Park has carried on. And, for yet another season, the team has grabbed the headlines during the holidays.

Nick Tavares is a columnist for The Standard-Times. E-mail him at ntavares@s-t.com

This story appeared on Page C1 of The Standard-Times on November 26, 2005.