astonishingly good trade made at deadline.
if manny ramirez is as much of a clubhouse pariah as the red sox make him out to be, then the trade that they pulled off on the eve of the trade deadline was sheer brilliance.
if the dodgers ever wanted to contend, then the trade that they pulled off on the eve of the deadline was brilliance.
if the pirates wanted maximum value for jason bay, then the trade that they pulled off on the eve of the deadline was brilliance.
in short: what a deal.
let's start with the pirates. brandon moss isn't a bad player, but in boston, where the red sox are going full blast for world series all the time, there's really no opportunity for him to take a crack at big league pitching. (.295 in 78 at bats) so, like david murphy, he had to go for some more proven talent. but all signs point to go for him being a possible mlb starter, and that's a huge coup for the pirates. craig hansen sort of suffers from the same issues that moss suffers from: he's unhittable in pawtucket, but is frequently thrust into pressure-packed moments on a sox team that has to win. so he had to go, but should be more effective in a less hostile pnc park environment.
and then there's the case of andy laroche. laroche probably has the most upside of the three, but is stuck in an l.a. system that is trying to win now, and they don't have time to develop him at a major league level. pittsburgh does, and between the three prospects, is probably getting more than enough value for bay.
by the way, bryan morris is a sort of decent pitching prospect in a ball.
if you're going to trade manny ramirez, you need a reasonable approximation for ramirez in return, and while bay isn't manny, he's still a great right-handed bat to protect david ortiz with. and that's saying something. between drew, youk, and bay, ortiz has enough protection. trading manny only works if you can still contend, and with bay, the red sox will be able to contend. plus, the sox might actually like bay. they paid a steep price to get rid of manny, but they did get someone who might be a better fit for the club in the short and long run. there's something to be said for that.
the dodgers haven't had a legitimate power hitter since gary sheffield, and ramirez is better than sheffield. so a team that has difficulty accumulating extra base hits should be in better shape now. much better shape. they got ramirez for a song, which is exactly the sort of deal that could save a gm's job. the dodgers' lineup looks better now:
C martin, 1B loney, 2B kent, SS committee, 3B blake, OF ramirez, kemp, ethier (or pierre)...
yeah, these guys should be able to hit. pierre and andruw are super subs off the bench in the late innings, and the dodgers are suddenly a very interesting team. if they aren't interesting, then at least they're not any worse than they were previously... which can't be a bad thing.
if the dodgers ever wanted to contend, then the trade that they pulled off on the eve of the deadline was brilliance.
if the pirates wanted maximum value for jason bay, then the trade that they pulled off on the eve of the deadline was brilliance.
in short: what a deal.
let's start with the pirates. brandon moss isn't a bad player, but in boston, where the red sox are going full blast for world series all the time, there's really no opportunity for him to take a crack at big league pitching. (.295 in 78 at bats) so, like david murphy, he had to go for some more proven talent. but all signs point to go for him being a possible mlb starter, and that's a huge coup for the pirates. craig hansen sort of suffers from the same issues that moss suffers from: he's unhittable in pawtucket, but is frequently thrust into pressure-packed moments on a sox team that has to win. so he had to go, but should be more effective in a less hostile pnc park environment.
and then there's the case of andy laroche. laroche probably has the most upside of the three, but is stuck in an l.a. system that is trying to win now, and they don't have time to develop him at a major league level. pittsburgh does, and between the three prospects, is probably getting more than enough value for bay.
by the way, bryan morris is a sort of decent pitching prospect in a ball.
if you're going to trade manny ramirez, you need a reasonable approximation for ramirez in return, and while bay isn't manny, he's still a great right-handed bat to protect david ortiz with. and that's saying something. between drew, youk, and bay, ortiz has enough protection. trading manny only works if you can still contend, and with bay, the red sox will be able to contend. plus, the sox might actually like bay. they paid a steep price to get rid of manny, but they did get someone who might be a better fit for the club in the short and long run. there's something to be said for that.
the dodgers haven't had a legitimate power hitter since gary sheffield, and ramirez is better than sheffield. so a team that has difficulty accumulating extra base hits should be in better shape now. much better shape. they got ramirez for a song, which is exactly the sort of deal that could save a gm's job. the dodgers' lineup looks better now:
C martin, 1B loney, 2B kent, SS committee, 3B blake, OF ramirez, kemp, ethier (or pierre)...
yeah, these guys should be able to hit. pierre and andruw are super subs off the bench in the late innings, and the dodgers are suddenly a very interesting team. if they aren't interesting, then at least they're not any worse than they were previously... which can't be a bad thing.
posted by mike at 2:00 PM
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