SI.com is reporting that a deal has been finalized sending Manny Ramirez out of Boston in a three team deal involving the Dodgers and Pirates. Here's how it looks to be shaking out:
Dodgers get: Manny Ramirez (Boston picks up remainder of Manny's 2008 contract. Twenty million dollar team options for '09 and '10 are waived.)
Red Sox get: Pittsburgh OF Jason Bay
Pirates get: Red Sox OF Brandon Moss, Red Sox reliever Craig Hansen, Dodgers 3B Adam LaRoche, Dodgers RH pitcher Bryan Morris.
What a deal for the Pirates.
**********************************************
I'm a sailor peg
And I lost my leg
I climbed up the topsails
I lost my leg
I'm shipping up to Boston
(whoa oh oh)
- Dropkick Murphys
A blockbuster trade may be in the works as the hours tick down to the MLB trading deadline, set for 4pm this afternoon, that could see a Pirate shipping up to Boston.
The Boston Red Sox are reportedly in talks with the Florida Marlins and Pittsburgh Pirates in a three-team deal that would send unpredictable slugger Manny Ramirez to the Marlins and former NL Rookie of the Year and All-Star Jason Bay to Boston. All sides are denying any agreement has been reached, but sources close to the teams (who these "sources" are, I don't know) claim a preliminary deal is in place and there is optimism all around that some form of the deal will be finalized by the 4pm deadline.The most consistent deal that I've heard or read has Manny Ramirez going to the Marlins, with the Sox picking up the majority of the $7 million left on his contract. The Marlins would send outfielder Jeremy Hermida to Pittsburgh along with a pitching prospect. The Pirates would send Jason Bay and left-handed reliever John Grabow to the Red Sox.
This deal seems to make sense all around, and I actually like it. From the Red Sox perspective (and selfishly, what matters to me most), the Sox unload an unhappy slugger who, frankly, has become a clubhouse cancer over the last three months. Jason Bay can slip right into Manny's spot in left field, and bat either 4th or 5th (with Mike Lowell or J.D. Drew moving to the cleanup spot behind Big Papi). His power numbers are remarkably similar to Manny's this year. Plus Bay is under contract for 2009 for a cool $7.5 million and is 7 years younger than Ramirez. The Sox can use the extra $12.5 million they'll save without Manny's contract to address their shortstop and/or catcher situation in the offseason.
Manny has been fueling the fire in the past week and a half to force the Sox into trading him. Last week, he pulled himself out of the lineup against Seattle on Wednesday and at the last minute against the Yankees on Friday claiming to have a sore knee. The Sox made him get an MRI on both knees, and then immediately reported that they came back clean. The slugger has been taking his case to the media, being quoted by ESPNdeportes.com as saying "They [the Red Sox management]'re tired of me and I'm tired of them," and "The Red Sox don't deserve a player like me...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."
Whether it happens today or at the end of the year, it looks like Manny and his childish antics will be shipping OUT of Boston... and a lot of people around here won't be sad to see him go.
rate
email
print
link to this page
Comments: 20
It seems like he’s unhappy because he hasn’t received a contract extension and he’s not looking for his option to be picked up for 20 million but to make A Rod money over 4 years.
Hopefully Bay can handle the pressure of playing in the limelight with the big boys.
As far as his mental health, Manny has proven time and again that he's got the emotional acuity of an 8-year-old. Kids get over things pretty fast. He's throwing a tantrum. He's like that annoying kid in your neighborhood who everyone hates, but who has the coolest toys so you hang out with him anyway. Its gotten to the point that his antics are getting worse, and he's starting to get stingy with his toys. I'm glad the Sox are finally going to find some other house to play at.
And I'm excited about Bay. Going from Pittsburgh to Boston is obviously a huge jump from a media perspective, but I can also see him really thriving and using the Monster to become a big-time doubles hitter. I feel like his game is similar to Mike Lowell's offensively... and we all know there's nothing wrong with that!
I haven't heard anything out of him this week. Has he said anything new? Regardless, he can't say much considering how he is basically stealing $8 million from the Red Sox this year (although I blame the Sox for that as much as Schilling).
On the Red Sox waiting until the end of the year to decide whether or not to exercise Manny's $20 million club option:
"I think there was, maybe there's some feeling on his part that if he did what he did last winter and he came out and had a monster first couple of months that they'd sit down and say 'OK we want to keep you here the next four years, let's get something done,' and it felt like to me that the second he realized that that was not an option, this just went straight downhill."
On Scott Boras' involvement:
“I think absolutely he’s absolutely had a hand in this … I think he absolutely has a piece of this. Scott Boras stands to make zero dollars if the Red Sox pick up Manny’s options the next two years [because Manny's previous agent negotiated his current deal]. Manny’s not 1- years from retirement, he’s maybe four obviously, that’s where he’s at. So does Scott Boras want to get a two year-deal for Manny or a four-year deal for Manny?
griffey jr OK'd the trade to the white sox
The Sox and Pirates may not be done dealing just yet...