Manny to Dodgers

So the blockbuster happened in the waning minutes before the 4pm trade deadline. The three way deal included the Red Sox, Pirates and Dodgers. The Dodgers got Manny Ramirez, and the Red Sox got outfielder Jason Bay. The Pirates received four minor leaguers. It was thought that the deal was going to include the Marlins instead of the Dodgers. But the Dodgers came out of nowhere to nab Manny.

Manny has voiced his displeasure with the Red Sox over the last week. "I love the 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." That was what Manny thought of the Red Sox.

Ramirez was threatening to not play for the Red Sox. He was tired of the Red Sox and the Red Sox were tired of him. Ramirez is batting .299 with 20 homers along with 68 RBIs.

Let's talk about what the Red Sox got in return. They traded a guy who didn't want to play for them, and they got a elite left fielder who is probably thrilled to play for them. Why is Jason Bay thrilled to play for the Red Sox? He moves from a last place team (the Pirates) who have gave away everything except PNC Park, to a team that is a playoff contender. No, Bay is not as good as Ramirez, but he is batting .282 with 22 homers and 64 RBIs.

The Dodgers have no pop in their bat. They will certainly get pop now that they have Ramirez. They are one game back in the horrendous NL West. Arizona is leading the division currently. By comparison, if the Dodgers (or the Diamondbacks, for that matter) were in the NL West, they would be in fourth place and out of the playoffs. The Dodgers will win the weak NL West now that they have Manny.

The Pirates are in complete rebuilding mode. Now that they've traded away Nady (for next to nothing) and Bay, they have no hope of having a playoff contender in the next two years (at least). I don't know why they would trade away their best players in their prime. But that's how the cookie crumbled.