The Trade

The pieces are finally falling into place here with the Manny Ramirez deal. According to the Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo and Gordon Edes, the Red Sox will send Ramirez to the Dodgers, Craig Hanson and Brandon Moss will be shipped to Pittsburgh, and the Red Sox will get Jason Bay.

My initial reaction is that the Red Sox gave up a lot just to get rid of Manny. Two teams got better here, and neither was from Boston.

The Dodgers essentially got a premier power hitter (free of charge considering the Sox have agreed to pay the balance of his 2008 contract) for a guy who's 25 (Andy LaRoche), but has been a non factor in 62 big league games and a 21-year-old coming off Tommy John surgery (Bryan Morris). They are two promising young players, but hardly a high price to pay for Ramirez.

The Pirates really come out on top today, receiving the two prospects from the Dodgers and Moss and Hanson from Boston. While Moss didn't have much a place in Boston to play, he could succeed in the NL with Pittsburgh. He has David Murphy written all over him (i.e. a solid player who never becomes a star). Craig Hanson has always shown potential, so who the hell knows what he'll become when he faces NL lineups for the first time. He could develop into something nice, or do nothing at all.

In the end, the Red Sox gave up three players from their Major League lineup and only got one in return. On top of that, they traded a LF for a lesser LF. So they are worse at LF tomorrow, and they are without one more relief pitcher and a left-handed bat off the bench.

The Red Sox also were unable to address their biggest need going into the deadline, bullpen help. In fact, they made the bullpen more shorthanded. So how is this team better tomorrow than they were yesterday? I just don't see it.