Yahoo and ESPN (among many others) were reporting that Manny Ramirez was very close to being dealt to the Marlins. From the Yahoo article:
"The current parameters of the trade have Jason Bay and reliever John Grabow coming to Boston, Marlins outfielder Jeremy Hermida and two prospects heading to Pittsburgh and Manny plus a prospect going to Florida."
The deal wasn't yet finalized, as Peter Gammons reported, but it sure sounded like something was going to happen before the trade deadline. I couldn't see the Sox letting the deadline go by with Manny still being a member of Red Sox nation.
Yahoo is now reporting that the Red Sox-Marlins-Pirates deal fell apart at the last minute but like we thought, the Sox we're not going to keep Manny around after the circus that's been created. SI.com is reporting that:
I still think this is a very bad move for the Sox. After the season, I can see moving Manny. He's a headcase, we get it. But he's still impossible to replace in that lineup. Here's what Manny's own manager, Terry Francona, had to say on the subject on July 27th to the Associated Press:The Red Sox traded embattled slugger Manny Ramirez to the Dodgers late Thursday afternoon. Jason Bay is headed to Boston as part of the deal, SI.com has learned. Pittsburgh gets pitcher Craig Hansen and outfielder Brandon Moss, both from Boston, as well as third baseman Andy LaRoche and right-handed pitcher Bryan Morris from the Dodgers. It looks like Manny is now headed to Los Angeles, with only minutes remaining before the trade deadline.]
"I'd take a guy that's hitting .500 that's miserable as opposed to a guy that hands out bouquets to his teammates and is hitting a buck 45."
Francona is smarter than I thought.
Things have gotten messy between Manny and Boston. Here was his response to the Marlin trade report in the ESPN article:
"The Red Sox did the same with guys like Nomar Garciaparra and Pedro Martinez, and now they do the same with me. Their goal is to paint me as the bad guy," Ramirez added. "I love Boston fans, but the Red Sox don't deserve me. I'm not talking about money. Mental peace has no price, and I don't have peace here."
Things never used to be like this. Manny used to be happy in Beantown. He won World Series in 2004 and 2007. He took home the series MVP in 2004 and even invited Red Sox fans to come back to his place for drinks after the parade. He even used to talk to the media. Gasp!
Sure his defense was a bit of an adventure, but when you have a player that can hit the game winning HR you forget about what happens in LF. Boston will miss Manny.
You want something obscure don't you? Well you're at Waikiki Hockey so you are in the right place.
How about Manny as a muppet with an Italian acccent?
Not bizarre enough for you? How about this then? Where to people come up with this stuff?
Wouldn't an Dodger - Red Sox final have a bit of intrigue now?
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4 comments:
I love the blog - but you're wrong that he won't make the Red Sox better.
Bay is better defensively, on the basepaths and healthier.
Bay has matched Manny's (seriously declining) statistics this year.
Bay hits to LF and PNC had a cavernous LF fence. Now he has the Wall.
Bay is 29, Manny is 36.
Bay costs $7.5 next year, Manny $20 if his option is picked up - which he threatened to quit if it was.
Both, as A-Class FA's will bring a team 2 first round picks in the draft if they decline Arbitration.
Bay > Manny in 2008.
We can't trust your opinion on this matter because you are a delusional Sox fan.
Bay has an .894 OPS, Manny is at .927 so they are pretty close offensively, this year, but you can't tell me you would rather have Bay than Manny up with 2 outs in the ninth and trailing by 2. But you're right it is closer than you think especially considering Bay's very a good deal for next year.
I suppose the upgrade on D and on the basepaths makes it close but I still think I would rather have Manny in there every day.
I watch too many Red Sox games (and you not often) to think the days of Manny being the man at the plate with 2 outs are still with us.
He's getting worse, homeboy.
Factor in the runs he loses on the bases and in the outfield (the metrics aren't perfect, but they are indicative) and Bay makes a difference.
In the end, though, there is more to it than that. Manny wanted out. A report (uncomfirmed) said the players had the final vote today. They voted 23-1 to trade him. (Ortiz voted for his boy).
I am very sad, and wearing my Manny jersey for maybe the last time in his honour. But the Red Sox, given the shit that surrounded this whole trade, did amazingly well to come out of this with a near-perfect replacement.
Anytime the Yankees are happy about a trade the Sox made it's not a good thing for your boys.
I'm cheering for the Rays, so I hope neither the Yanks or Sox make it
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=AuFLp8OneHglxbYdHGIoMDARvLYF?slug=jp-yankees073108&prov=yhoo&type=lgns
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