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Here's a rundown of all the trades made today including the blockbuster deal of Manny Ramirez being traded to the Dodgers and Jason Bay heading to Boston. Ken Griffey Jr was also traded to the White Sox in a curious move.
Manny Ramirez traded to Dodgers, Jason Bay traded to Red Sox, Pirates receive Craig Hanson, Brandon Moss, Andy LaRoche, and Bryan Morris: As many problems as the Red Sox have had with Manny Ramirez, I am still shocked that they actually traded him. Manny isn't doing anything now that he hasn't done before and the Red Sox have allowed Manny to get away with his antics for years, so it is their own fault that he kept creating problems for them, and when I say "problems" that is only if you think winning two World Series titles with Manny is a "problem".
All I know is that if I'm playing the Red Sox, I'm excited as hell to see Jason Bay in the line up instead of Manny Ramirez. Quite simply, Jason Bay is no Manny Ramirez. The stats might be comparable but they really don't tell the whole story. For one, Jason Bay has never proven anything on a big market team with the pressure on him in the playoffs or during the regular season and Manny is as proven as they get.
If you want to just look at the stats then check out what Bay and Manny are doing this season:
Ramirez: .299/20 HR/68 RBI/.398 OBP/.529 SLG/140 OPS+
Bay: .282/22 HR/64 RBI/.375 OBP/.519 SLG/135 OPS+
Certainly Bay has comparable numbers to Manny this year but I would still take Manny all day and night over Bay when the pressure is on. Maybe Bay will prove himself as the season goes along but I personally would not take the risk when the Red Sox are a legitimate World Series contender. If you ask me I think the Red Sox knew they weren't going to pick up Manny's option, so they shipped him out of town as soon as possible so it wouldn't cause a firestorm.
As far as the Dodgers are concerned, I think this is a great trade for them if they are trying to make the playoffs this season. They certainly aren't going to win the World Series just because they added Manny but I think the goal for this team is to make the playoffs and not win it all. I think they realize they aren't a World Series caliber team and they are just trying to make that next step and make the playoffs. Anytime you can get Manny Ramirez any only give up a couple of prospects, you have to make that deal. It will be interesting to see if the Dodgers try to keep Manny though. Granted it had to hurt some to give up Andy LaRoche but with prospects there is never any guarantee they will pan out.
The Pirates receive Andy LaRoche and Brandon Moss who are both solid prospects and should get a chance to play for the Pirates this season. I think this is a great return for Jason Bay when you throw in the fact they also get reliever Craig Hanson who definitely has talent. Anytime you can get three decent prospects for someone who isn't even a perennial All-Star then I'd say you got a pretty good return. Now they just have to hope these guys pan out and can contribute to their club over the next few years.
Ken Griffey, Jr. traded to Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati Reds receive Nick Masset and Danny Richar: This is a curious trade by the White Sox because I'm not sure where Griffey fits in with all the outfielder/DH types the White Sox have right now. Right now in the outfield, the White Sox have Nick Swisher, Carlos Quentin, and Jermaine Dye. Certainly Quentin and Dye are going to be playing everyday but Swisher is only hitting .230 and could be benched on occasion or moved to first base. The reason he might be moved to first base is because Paul Konerko is currently hitting only .214. I think it's pretty clear that Swisher and Konerko are going to play against lefties and Griffey will play against righties.
Another key here is that the White Sox are going to have to put Griffey in center when Swisher isn't playing in the outfield. With Griffey's extensive injury history, I'm not sure he will last in center field without getting hurt.
Overall, I think Griffey's name is bigger than the impact he will have for the White Sox.
Other trades:
- The Mariners traded Arthur Rhodes to the Marlins for minor league right-hander Gaby Hernandez.
- The Yankees traded shortstop Alberto Gonzalez for minor league pitcher Jhonny Nunez and they also traded reliever LaTroy Hawkins to the Houston Astros for minor league infielder Matt Cusick.
Manny Ramirez traded to Dodgers, Jason Bay traded to Red Sox, Pirates receive Craig Hanson, Brandon Moss, Andy LaRoche, and Bryan Morris: As many problems as the Red Sox have had with Manny Ramirez, I am still shocked that they actually traded him. Manny isn't doing anything now that he hasn't done before and the Red Sox have allowed Manny to get away with his antics for years, so it is their own fault that he kept creating problems for them, and when I say "problems" that is only if you think winning two World Series titles with Manny is a "problem".
All I know is that if I'm playing the Red Sox, I'm excited as hell to see Jason Bay in the line up instead of Manny Ramirez. Quite simply, Jason Bay is no Manny Ramirez. The stats might be comparable but they really don't tell the whole story. For one, Jason Bay has never proven anything on a big market team with the pressure on him in the playoffs or during the regular season and Manny is as proven as they get.
If you want to just look at the stats then check out what Bay and Manny are doing this season:
Ramirez: .299/20 HR/68 RBI/.398 OBP/.529 SLG/140 OPS+
Bay: .282/22 HR/64 RBI/.375 OBP/.519 SLG/135 OPS+
Certainly Bay has comparable numbers to Manny this year but I would still take Manny all day and night over Bay when the pressure is on. Maybe Bay will prove himself as the season goes along but I personally would not take the risk when the Red Sox are a legitimate World Series contender. If you ask me I think the Red Sox knew they weren't going to pick up Manny's option, so they shipped him out of town as soon as possible so it wouldn't cause a firestorm.
As far as the Dodgers are concerned, I think this is a great trade for them if they are trying to make the playoffs this season. They certainly aren't going to win the World Series just because they added Manny but I think the goal for this team is to make the playoffs and not win it all. I think they realize they aren't a World Series caliber team and they are just trying to make that next step and make the playoffs. Anytime you can get Manny Ramirez any only give up a couple of prospects, you have to make that deal. It will be interesting to see if the Dodgers try to keep Manny though. Granted it had to hurt some to give up Andy LaRoche but with prospects there is never any guarantee they will pan out.
The Pirates receive Andy LaRoche and Brandon Moss who are both solid prospects and should get a chance to play for the Pirates this season. I think this is a great return for Jason Bay when you throw in the fact they also get reliever Craig Hanson who definitely has talent. Anytime you can get three decent prospects for someone who isn't even a perennial All-Star then I'd say you got a pretty good return. Now they just have to hope these guys pan out and can contribute to their club over the next few years.
Ken Griffey, Jr. traded to Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati Reds receive Nick Masset and Danny Richar: This is a curious trade by the White Sox because I'm not sure where Griffey fits in with all the outfielder/DH types the White Sox have right now. Right now in the outfield, the White Sox have Nick Swisher, Carlos Quentin, and Jermaine Dye. Certainly Quentin and Dye are going to be playing everyday but Swisher is only hitting .230 and could be benched on occasion or moved to first base. The reason he might be moved to first base is because Paul Konerko is currently hitting only .214. I think it's pretty clear that Swisher and Konerko are going to play against lefties and Griffey will play against righties.
Another key here is that the White Sox are going to have to put Griffey in center when Swisher isn't playing in the outfield. With Griffey's extensive injury history, I'm not sure he will last in center field without getting hurt.
Overall, I think Griffey's name is bigger than the impact he will have for the White Sox.
Other trades:
- The Mariners traded Arthur Rhodes to the Marlins for minor league right-hander Gaby Hernandez.
- The Yankees traded shortstop Alberto Gonzalez for minor league pitcher Jhonny Nunez and they also traded reliever LaTroy Hawkins to the Houston Astros for minor league infielder Matt Cusick.
More: MLB
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