The Red Sox have erased a year of extravagant spending with a trade that set the standard for blockbusters. Now, as Ben Cherington tries to usher in an era of discipline, he has what every general manager dreams of: a nearly blank slate and owners who are willing to spend.

Boston faced reality Saturday when it traded the team's ace-turned-pariah, Josh Beckett, and a pair of $100 million players with five years left on their contracts, first baseman Adrian Gonzalez and outfielder Carl Crawford, to the Dodgers.

Sox utility infielder Nick Punto was also a part of the nine-player deal, which netted Boston big-league first baseman James Loney and a package of prospects: infielder Ivan DeJesus, Jr., right hander Allen Webster and two players to be named.