Josh Reddick Has ‘Mixed Feelings’ About Trade to Oakland, But Excited for Opportunity With A’s

by abournenesn

Jan 19, 2012

Josh Reddick Has 'Mixed Feelings' About Trade to Oakland, But Excited for Opportunity With A'sBOSTON — As a member of the Red Sox, Josh Reddick never had planned to watch Moneyball, the film based on the Athletics' use of sabermetrics.

Once he was traded to Oakland in December, those intentions didn't change. But on the airplane to the West Coast, Reddick stumbled upon the movie and indirectly received an introduction to his new general manager Billy Beane.

"As long as I don't have to pay a dollar for a Coke, I'm good," Reddick, referring to when Oakland players had to shell out cash for soda.

Making his return to Boston for the 73rd annual Boston Baseball Writers' dinner, Reddick was all smiles before accepting the Harry Agganis Rookie of the Year Award. It was a different reaction than Reddick felt when he was traded for closer Andrew Bailey.

When Reddick learned the news, the 24-year-old was preparing to embark on a cruise. Although Reddick was blindsided by the news, he managed to escape the shock during his five-day getaway.

"Shock and mixed feelings," Reddick said of his reaction. "I had a feeling I was going to get traded at the winter meetings because that's when all the big stuff goes down. When it didn't happen there, I was kind of at ease with it."

"Once I talked to Billy Beane and [manager] Bob Melvin, I realized it was going to be a really good opportunity to play every day. That helped calm me down a little bit, but obviously, I was upset to leave Boston."

Despite the fresh start, Reddick continues to recover from his wrist surgery in November –- the same procedure that Carl Crawford underwent Tuesday. He is scheduled to visit his surgeon Friday and expects to resume hitting next week.

This time around, he'll likely be competing as a starting outfielder, a job that wasn't completely guaranteed in Boston.

"The impression is [Oakland] wants me to be ready to start every day," Reddick said. "They said no matter who's on the mound they want me to be ready to play. That's obviously good news to hear, especially when it was a question mark with the Sox."

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