The news on July 31, 2012, was that the Boston Red Sox were finally giving up on once-touted prospect Lars Anderson, trading him to the Cleveland Indians for a minor league pitcher who spent nearly four seasons with Double-A Akron.

Anderson, who became a Sea Dogs sensation back when he was 20 and played parts of three seasons in the majors, is now 28 and back in Double-A with the Dodgers.

Steven Wright, who's now Boston's leading pitcher, came to the Red Sox by way of a trade for once-touted prospect Lars Anderson, who's now playing in Double-A with the Dodgers. The Associated Press

The minor league pitcher the Red Sox received was Steven Wright, Boston’s top pitcher right now coming off a complete-game win in Yankee Stadium.

Funny how those minor trades work out.

Wright’s deal was especially interesting because the trade came down while Akron was in Portland for a series against the Sea Dogs. Wright simply changed clubhouses. He pitched one game for Portland (six innings, one run) and was on his way to Pawtucket.

Some of the big trades involve big-name prospects – like outfielder Manual Margot and three other prospects to San Diego for closer Craig Kimbrel. And of course there’s curiosity concerning new president Dave Dombrowski. Just how many prospects would he deal to improve the big league club?

Is Blake Swihart on the block? Any of the young standouts in Salem? Red Sox followers are paying attention.

There are numerous minor deals no one notices but they can pan out well, like picking up a developing knuckleball pitcher whom the Indians had given up on.

With such minor deals – or throw-ins to bigger trades – the Red Sox eventually added players like Wright, Brock Holt, left-handed starter Eduardo Rodriguez and utility player Marco Hernandez.

• After the 2012 season, the Red Sox gave up on reliever Mark Melancon and sought a closer. Pittsburgh offered Joel Hanrahan. Other players got tossed into the deal. Among the players Boston gave up was one-time pitching prospect Stolmy Pimentel (Sea Dogs, 2011-12). The Pirates added Holt to the pot. Holt had spent much of 2012 with the Double-A Altoona Curve.

While Hanrahan never worked out for Boston, Holt emerged to be a super utility player (All-Star in 2015) and is now the starting left fielder. Pimentel made 25 appearances for Pittsburgh over the next two years and is now in Triple-A with the Mets.

• The moves to get Rodriguez were a little more complicated. In 2010, Boston had a left-handed prospect, Dustin Richardson (Sea Dogs, 2008-09), who made 26 relief appearances for Boston with mixed results (4.15 ERA, 2.23 WHIP). Boston traded him to the Marlins for an underperforming left-handed starter named Andrew Miller.

With Boston, Miller developed into an elite reliever. Before he could bolt for free agency, Miller was traded to the Orioles on July 31, 2014, for Rodriguez, a touted prospect who was struggling in Double-A.

Rodriguez is now considered a top-of-the-rotation kind of starter (and ready to come off the disabled list after a spring training knee injury).

Miller bolted for the Yankees and Richardson is a teammate of Lars Anderson with the Double-A Tulsa Drillers.

• In 2014 the Red Sox finally lost patience with left-hander Felix Doubront, who never showed enough of his potential. Boston traded him to the Cubs in July for a player to be named. In the offseason Chicago sent over minor league infielder Marco Hernandez, who would be a free agent after 2015 if left off the 40-man roster.

Hernandez started slowly in Portland but picked it up to become an Eastern League All-Star and get promoted to Triple-A. He was added to the 40-man roster and made his major league debut this season.

Hernandez has been back and forth with Boston, giving the Red Sox versatility and another left-handed batter. In Pawtucket, he leads the team with a .347 average. Meanwhile the Cubs waved Doubront in the spring of 2015. Toronto picked him up, then sent him to the A’s. He underwent Tommy John surgery this year.

NOTES: Since returning from his major league debut, Pawtucket starter Williams Cuevas is 3-0 in three starts with a 1.35 ERA. … First baseman Sam Travis got off to a slow start in Pawtucket (.231 over his first 10 games with 12 strikeouts and only three walks). In his next 19 games, Travis is batting .315 with 14 strikeouts and eight walks. … While Travis is picking it up, a couple other former Sea Dogs are struggling in Triple-A, with shortstop Deven Marrero batting .216 and utility player Sean Coyle at .133. … Salem outfielder Andrew Benintendi had his hit streak stopped at 23 games Saturday. He is still batting .368 with a 1.048 OPS. He has also struck out only eight times while drawing 12 walks. … In low Class A Greenville, top pitching prospect Anderson Espinoza rebounded from a tough start with 11 strikeouts in five innings last Thursday. He gave up five hits and one run. Espinoza, 18, has 35 strikeouts in 27 innings. … Greenville infielder Michael Chavis (first-round pick, 2014) was batting .356/.992 before injuring ligaments his thumb two weeks ago. His timetable for recovery is not known.

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