Reaction to the trade of veteran Boston All-Star shortstop Nomar Garciaparra to the Cubs in a multi-team deal that landed them shortstop Orlando Cabrera from Montreal and first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz from Minnesota was mixed among baseball people with Eastern Maine ties.

Besides the two Gold Glove winners, the Red Sox also obtained outfielder Dave Roberts (33 steals in 68 games) from the Los Angeles Dodgers.

“I feel terrible about it. I know Nomar a little bit from two regionals [I directed] when he was at Georgia Tech,” said Husson College and former University of Maine baseball coach John Winkin. “I was really impressed with him as a young man in college. I always thought he was a class guy. And he was a key player for the Red Sox. I never thought he’d be the real strong major league hitter that he has turned out to be.

“Cabrera is a helluva’ shortstop. Mientkiewicz will be a big help at first. The Red Sox have improved themselves defensively. I don’t know what Roberts does for them,” said Winkin. “The Red Sox can hit with anybody. I’m not sure they can play defense enough to be what they should be. Even now. If Garciaparra’s frame of mind is all right, he’ll be a catalyst for the Cubs. He’ll mean to them what [Derek] Jeter means to the Yankees. They need a leader and he can be the real leader. And I think it will help him to play for [Cubs manager] Dusty Baker.”

Randy Harris, who just stepped down after 20 years as the baseball coach at Lee Academy, said, “I think it’s a good trade for both teams. Even though I’m a Yankee fan, I’ve always liked the way he plays. The Red Sox solidified their defense. That was a major weakness for them. They will be very strong defensively.

“Cabrera is underrated offensively. They’ll get more from him than people imagined. It’s a good trade for the Sox,” added Harris. “Nomar will be good for the Cubs. They’re a good organization and he’ll have good players around him. I was surprised. I really think the Red Sox need one more pitcher. I don’t know what the Red Sox are going to do with all of their players. [Manager Terry] Francona is going to have his hands full keeping people happy.”

He also said Garciaparra will be going from one storied franchise and ballpark to another [Boston’s Fenway Park to Chicago’s Wrigley Field].

Murray Putnam, who will begin his 37th season as the baseball coach at Dyer Brook’s Southern Aroostook High School next spring, said he wasn’t surprised Garciaparra was traded after all the off-season talk about the proposed trade for Texas’ Alex Rodriguez, which eventually fell through and saw Rodriguez land in a Yankee uniform.

“That really sealed their fate. It makes some sense. It may shore up their defense. Time will tell,” said Putnam. “I heard Theo [Red Sox general manager Epstein] say he didn’t want to be in the same boat as Haywood Sullivan with [catcher] Carlton Fisk and Dan Duquette with [pitcher] Roger Clemens. They both walked and the Red Sox got nothing for them. I can’t say I blame him [Epstein].”

He also said pro sports have changed dramatically and that there is no loyalty on behalf of the players or management these days.

Former University of Maine All-American righthander and longtime major league pitcher Billy Swift of South Portland said Garciaparra “is a much better player than all those guys combined. It doesn’t sound like they tried to improve their team. It sounds like they tried to get rid of him. It’s great for Nomar. The Cubs are a good team and he’ll like Dusty. He’s a good manager.”

Swift pitched for Baker in San Francisco in 1993 and ’94, going 29-15 and being the National League Cy Young Award runner-up in 1993 when he was 21-8 with a 2.82 earned run average.

“I was astonished that the Cubs got him. He’s a hell of a ballplayer,” said Bangor Lumberjacks catcher and longtime Cubs fan Brad Hargreaves. “They already had a heck of a lineup. I don’t know where they’ll put him, but there’s hardly anyone to pitch to in that lineup now. For them to get that kind of player with what they already have is ridiculous. It’s like the Yankees.

“Now they can make up the distance. I mean, he’s an impact player and they could run off God knows how many wins.”

Hargreaves’ renewed optimism only goes so far however. Nomar’s arrival hasn’t prompted him to dream of World Series trophies yet.

“NO,” Hargreaves said flatly. “There’ll be more suffering. I just want to see them get into the playoffs. Then I’ll watch.”

“I heard the rumors, so it didn’t surprise me one bit. I think the trade was sealed last year with all the A-Rod rumors and he hasn’t been the same kind of player since,” said Bangor Lumberjacks manager Kash Beauchamp. “They get an exciting young guy in Cabrera and they had to shore their defense up to win a championship so getting the guy from Minnesota was good, too.”

Beauchamp is a lifelong Sox fan who used to play the same position (center field) as his favorite player (Fred Lynn) and still wears Lynn’s number (19).

“Nomar’s probably relieved. I think it’s a good trade for the Red Sox, even though Nomar’s an icon, but I think it’s a good trade for both teams and for Nomar,” Beauchamp added. “Boston needs some fundamentally sound players who can do more than one thing. It worked out perfect for them.”

NEWS sportswriter Andrew Neff contributed to this story