Manny headed west, Bay to Beantown
In what was the big surprise of the day, the Red Sox and Pirates were in on the wheeling and dealing, Manny Ramirez and Jason Bay were moved, just not with the Marlins as expected.
The Dodgers swept in at the (seemingly) last minute and entered the fray, taking Ramirez off of Boston's hands and opening the door to send Bay to New England.
From MLB.com:
Ramirez, 36, landed in L.A., and Bay, 29, was shipped from Pittsburgh to Boston. For their part in the deal, the Pirates received third baseman Andy LaRoche, brother of Bucs first baseman Adam LaRoche, and Minor League pitcher Bryan Morris from the Dodgers, and right-hander Craig Hansen and outfielder Brandon Moss from the Red Sox. All but Morris, 21, are 24 years old.
Here's where things get interesting for Ramirez and his new Dodger family:
Ramirez, in addition to being granted a trade out of Boston, will also get his freedom. His $20 million club options for each of the next two seasons were dropped, which will allow Ramirez to become a free agent this winter. Additionally, the Red Sox are paying the $7 million remaining on Ramirez's $20 million salary for this year.
Instant free agency? How does this work well for the Dodgers? Unless they think they have the inside track on signing him in the offseason, why make this move?
It makes sense that they wouldn't want to part with Andre Ethier or Matt Kemp when Theo Epstein started working the phones knowing that, but still. Do they really think they're geared for the postseason? Sure, the NL West is weak and it's not out of the question to walk away with the division, but it just seems a little short sighted at first glance.
It appears I'm not the only one.
Before closing out this post, I wanted to save a little space for quiet reflection on the Manny Ramirez era ending in Boston.
As many of the Red Sox blogs are doing this evening, it's not so much a time to throw dirt on the guy, but to say thank you for what he's done for the team in bringing two World Series titles to Boston and helping to power one of the better offenses in the league during that stretch.
Let's face it, there's a reason he was the playoff MVP in 2004 and David Ortiz would not be the hitter he is (at least numbers-wise) without Manny in that same lineup.
Yes, he was bizarre. Yes, he was moody - more than anything, Boston fans will stay angry about the comments that the team didn't deserve him - and yes, he'd run hot and cold, but when he was good, he was very, very good.
Obviously, the team will keep playing without Manny and there are worse options than Jason Bay, but it's going to be a little strange for the next few weeks.
I don't know how I'll deal with Sawx games without that live-action Muppet running around under the Monster.
That said, brace yourselves, Dodger fans - it can be an odd ride.
(Image from Boston Dirt Dogs - Joseph Boucher)
The Dodgers swept in at the (seemingly) last minute and entered the fray, taking Ramirez off of Boston's hands and opening the door to send Bay to New England.From MLB.com:
Ramirez, 36, landed in L.A., and Bay, 29, was shipped from Pittsburgh to Boston. For their part in the deal, the Pirates received third baseman Andy LaRoche, brother of Bucs first baseman Adam LaRoche, and Minor League pitcher Bryan Morris from the Dodgers, and right-hander Craig Hansen and outfielder Brandon Moss from the Red Sox. All but Morris, 21, are 24 years old.
Here's where things get interesting for Ramirez and his new Dodger family:
Ramirez, in addition to being granted a trade out of Boston, will also get his freedom. His $20 million club options for each of the next two seasons were dropped, which will allow Ramirez to become a free agent this winter. Additionally, the Red Sox are paying the $7 million remaining on Ramirez's $20 million salary for this year.
Instant free agency? How does this work well for the Dodgers? Unless they think they have the inside track on signing him in the offseason, why make this move?
It makes sense that they wouldn't want to part with Andre Ethier or Matt Kemp when Theo Epstein started working the phones knowing that, but still. Do they really think they're geared for the postseason? Sure, the NL West is weak and it's not out of the question to walk away with the division, but it just seems a little short sighted at first glance.
It appears I'm not the only one.
Before closing out this post, I wanted to save a little space for quiet reflection on the Manny Ramirez era ending in Boston.
As many of the Red Sox blogs are doing this evening, it's not so much a time to throw dirt on the guy, but to say thank you for what he's done for the team in bringing two World Series titles to Boston and helping to power one of the better offenses in the league during that stretch.
Let's face it, there's a reason he was the playoff MVP in 2004 and David Ortiz would not be the hitter he is (at least numbers-wise) without Manny in that same lineup.
Yes, he was bizarre. Yes, he was moody - more than anything, Boston fans will stay angry about the comments that the team didn't deserve him - and yes, he'd run hot and cold, but when he was good, he was very, very good.
Obviously, the team will keep playing without Manny and there are worse options than Jason Bay, but it's going to be a little strange for the next few weeks.
I don't know how I'll deal with Sawx games without that live-action Muppet running around under the Monster.
That said, brace yourselves, Dodger fans - it can be an odd ride.
(Image from Boston Dirt Dogs - Joseph Boucher)
Labels: Trades - 2008
posted by Matt G at
10:09 PM
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