Nomar Garciaparra on being traded at the 2004 MLB trade deadline

On July 31, 2004, the Red Sox took a major step toward winning a World Series for the first time in 86 years by completing a blockbuster trade.

Of course, when then-superstar shortstop Nomar Garciaparra was sent to the Cubs in a trade deadline deal, many Boston fans viewed it as anything but a step in the right direction.

Despite the admiration Garciaparra always had in Boston, the deal ultimately turned out to be a positive one for the Red Sox. The two players acquired in return (Doug Mientkiewicz and Orlando Cabrera) helped the team win its first World Series since 1918.

But the decision to send Garciaparra out of Boston on the edge of what has become an iconic championship course remains one of the few bitter pills for Red Sox fans who remember that magical season.

What does Garciaparra think about the deal? The former shortstop recently discussed the deal, which is approaching its 20th anniversary, in an interview with MassLive’s Sean McAdam.

“To think about it? I don’t know if I really did,” Garciaparra admitted. “People ask me questions or talk about my time.” [in Boston]and I always say I have wonderful memories. I am grateful for them. I know what I did, what I gave, which was everything I had.

At the time, Garciaparra declined to try to put the trade into a broader context, preferring to focus on the short term.

“It’s just one of those situations where once it’s done, you can’t think about it right away,” he said. “You get traded and you’re like, ‘OK, we’ve got to win, we’ve got to play.’ I remember doing that. That’s just the goal. You’re like, ‘Okay, no turning back, we’ve just got to look forward.’”

Now a member of the Dodgers’ broadcast team, Garciaparra spoke candidly about the 2004 season.

On the subject of winning the World Series, Garciaparra provided some additional insight into his relationship with his teammates after the deal that sent him to Chicago.

“I feel part of that,” he told McAdam of Boston’s 2004 title, “and what people don’t know is that [former teammates] It made me feel like I was part of it too.

“They would call me during the playoffs, on the bus, after we won a game. I would get calls from the guys,” Garciaparra recalled. “Trot [Nixon] would call me, I would hear Johnny [Damon] in the background, asking, “Did you see what we did?” And I said, “Oh, I’m watching, guys. I know what you’re going to do.”

Although he was out of the lineup months before the World Series victory, Garciaparra maintained perspective on the broader impact he had in Boston.

That said, he admitted to feeling some sadness at ultimately not being a part of a Red Sox title.

“I was just happy, actually. Sad? Yes, not to have been there, not to have been part of the event and not to have experienced it, for sure,” Garciaparra said. “There was a certain sadness. But at the same time, there was also a certain joy, because I know what it meant.”

“And I also know that winning the World Series didn’t happen in one year,” he added. “The 2003 season was a big reason they won it… 2002, 2001, 1999, 1998… all the seasons we prepared for it. If we’re not good enough, we don’t get the result we want. [necessary] “Pieces of 2004 that want to come and help you get there. All these years have been a culmination. And I know that I played an important role in those years.”

What Boston fans may not have realized during his time in Boston (and the rest of his career) is that Garciaparra had to deal with issues that went beyond regular injuries.

“In Boston, I gave everything I had,” he said. “Some of the things I live with today, the pain and suffering, there are things I can’t do because of all that I sacrificed and gave. Would I do it differently? No.”

Garciaparra explained that he discovered he had popliteal artery syndrome, a condition that affects blood flow in the lower body. The former shortstop explained what the syndrome meant to him. Specifically, he could no longer “physically run.”

But rather than feeling sorry for himself, Garciaparra took an opposing view.

“Even with that, I was able to play [14 seasons] “I’ve never been this lucky in the major leagues. I don’t think, ‘What if I didn’t have that?’ I think, ‘Man, I’m lucky! Even with that, I was able to play this long. It could have been even shorter.’