So as most of you probably already know, Manny is going to LA, and the Red Sox get Jason Bay in return. As part of the deal, the Sox had to give up Craig Hansen and Brandon Moss. Maybe I am living in the past, but this seems like a lot to give up for Jason Bay - I thinks fans aren't going to be super-psyched about this deal and I sort of feel sorry for Bay already. Bay has the same power as Manny, but does not have the career lifetime BA that Manny has. Plus to give up a power arm like Hansen - granted he has control issues, but he is still really young - plus Moss makes it appear that the Sox were pretty desperate to get rid of Manny. Maybe they were.
Maybe this is just sour grapes, but if they Yankees were the ones trading Manny, they would have gotten back Bay plus prospects, not given up prospects.
Maybe Manny had to go, but the Sox are going to miss that feared one-two (or should I say three-four?) punch of Ortiz and Manny. Oh well.
The King is dead. Long live the King.
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3 comments:
Well, the yearly headache of Manny being Manny is over. No more sick grandmothers. No more lackluster efforts at baserunning, which occured many times over the years. No more hanging out in a bar with a Yankee when he was supposed to be sick, all on the night after he told ESPN that he would like to play for the Yankees.
And its not going to be the end of the world. Sure, the Sox are losing a mean bat, but he became far too big an ass, and a distraction for the Sox to do anything other than get rid of him. I really thought that the Sox were going to laugh this one off again as MBM, until he made the Farve sign. Kinda childish, just MBM. I like that they sent him almost as far away from Boston as possible. Let the Dodgers deal with him, and let us hopefully enjoy Jason Bay. Im just SO glad, for numerous reasons, that the Marlins didnt wind up with him. Instead, we traded for a lefty specialist, Arthur Rhodes, from Seattle. Im kinda cheesed that the Fish didnt make an attempt to get back Pudge, as we need a catcher, bad. And for him to go to the Yankees is a big plus for them, and a big hit to the Sox gut, for Pudge is still Pudge. And damned those Rays. Sweet Caroline, its gonna be an interesting and crazy August in MLB, all over the map.
So says the RedFish.
Johnny Rooster - nice post bro. I've gotta agree with LeeB aka Redfish and say that it was time for Manny to go at any cost. Remember 2004 when the Sox traded Nomar for Orlando Cabrera? The "addition by subtraction" thing worked out pretty well for them. To a man, the Sox are team players. Manny wasn't and that was starting to fester.
Regarding Hanson and Moss, I'm actually more disappointed about losing the latter as I think he's a player. With Hanson, it was becoming increasingly obvious that the Sox brass had decided to cut bait.
Who knows what's gonna happen during the 2nd 1/2 of the year but I like our chances!
"The Nomar Effect" is a topic of lots of debate. One one hand, I want to trust the gang that brought us 2 WS championships in 3 years, kept Tito on as a balancing force in the clubhouse, etc. On the other hand, I agree with Johnny Rooster - this is a LOT to give up for Manny. I'm not convinced the team wouldn't pull it together with him on the team, and I don't think he would tank the rest of the season to put his contract for the next 4 at risk once the season was over. Nomar's performance, if I recall correctly, had tailed off for awhile, not to mention a wrist injury. Manny was tailing a bit in his numbers this year vs others, but I am not convinced he is on the decline as the WEEI pundits would claim. He hasn't had Ortiz ahead of him in the lineup setting up RISP, among other things.
I just don't have the same sense of relief when Nomar left, allowing us substantial defensive upgrades with Doug Malphabet and O. Cabrera. We had many headaches of MBM, but he was critical to the two WS. I'd take that tradeoff any day.
Jason Bay was in the NL, facing weak pitching. I like that he played in the Cape Cod League, but setting expectations of him as a clutch hitter and keeping Ortiz in his sweet spot are too much to ask any but a few elite players. The pressure is on. Look how JD Drew handled it the first year.
Quick sidebar: Remember the wall incident a couple seasons back, where Manny claimed he had to go to the bathroom? I have a friend who works in the wall and had the last 17+ years. The alleged real story (a bit more lame): Manny went in to say hello, saw that mgmt had sent down a huge plate of fruit, grabbed a plum and managed to get plum juice all over his hands and uni. 30 seconds later he bolted out of the door and threw a ball about 30 degrees off target. His hands were sticky. I still think that's funny.
Thanks Manny for being a huge part 95 playoff games in Boston. I'll always remember this: http://bit.ly/manny (thx @beaucolburn on twitter).
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