MLB Trade Deadline Thread

I would like to see just 3 names of players who suddenly were traded from small markets to big markets and completely failed (without injuries and if given a reasonable sample size). It's possible that there are plenty, but I suspect that's just a myth. Maybe BW can pull a Rain Man and spout out some eQa's, OPS of former Royals, Pirates and Marlins players failing in big games.

I'm not saying it's a good trade for the Sox. But I don't buy the logic that he'll fail because he's in Boston. Unless there's something in the water or he lacks a certain gene a human being needs to take a walk in New England.

 

See that's where you are misreading me, I'm not saying he will fail automatically because he's going to Boston either. I'm just saying he won't be Manny Ramirez and everyone needs to chill out about that fact.

 

He definitely won't be motivated-and-31-years-old Manny.

 

Then we absolutely agree. Put that one on the board, folks. It's a rarity.

(Though I'm guessing we also agree on Joba. He won't compile enough innings to be in contention for the Cy, but Christ... he's the best pitcher I've seen this year. It's not crazy to suggest that he should win the ROY, particularly if he can continue to harness that curveball.)

 

The thing about this deal is, Bay's topline performance is well defined. No one would be surprised, although no one would predict, if Ramirez has 7-8 homers in August and hits .330. If Bay was to do that, we'd all be shocked.
And that's what the Sox need. You can't trade a guy because (and this is what it gets down to) because he's not hitting enough to justify putting up with his bullshit and then say, but we'll be just as good because the new guy will give us the same stats. Then you traded a handful of prospects to get rid of bullshit. That's not a good trade. That's not professional.

 

Gee, despite going without Ortiz for almost two full months the Sox are still third in the AL in runs, tops in OBP and second in OPS.

It's not my cash John Henry can pay whoever he wants, but it just shows how fearful they were of him just quitting on the team just like he did in 2006.

Hansen has had plenty of chances to show his stuff at the major league level and has been nothing short of a complete bust. Moss is a serviceable outfielder, nothing more, nothing less.

My biggest complaint of the deal is that they were unable to land a reliever.

They certainly gave up a lot, but like the Nomar deal, it is one that needed to be made for the team to have any chance going forward.

 

The Nomar trade was defensible on baseball grounds. Something was surrendered (hitting) for something gained (defense at a defensive position). They already had hitters up the yin-yang anyway. The "clubhouse cancer" thing was pure management bullshit. Nomar was nobody's buddy when he was hitting .370, too. He kept to himself, was glum, and didn't bother anybody.
Manny's a handful. But these situations had been resolved before, to the tune of two world titles. And they surrendered A LOT to get back one player who at best is 90 percent of the one they wanted to dump. It does not add up, except in the silly morality play that is Red Sox land.
If Jason Varitek and Jacoby Ellsbury find their bats, and Beckett recovers his location, and Ortiz doesn't get hurt again, and J.D. Drew stays hot, and one of the relievers stops sucking, then sure, they could win the Series again. But that would be my exact assessment if Manny was still on the team. This deal doesn't remind me of the Nomar trade, it reminds me of firing Jimy Williams in 2001. It reeks of flop sweat. With only two months of leverage left over Ramirez, they gave up on trying to cope with him, something they proved in the past they could do.

 

Nothing he did in 2004 or 2007 comes close to the shit he did this year. In that regard 2006 is the best thing we have and he completely rolled over.

 

Because they make consistently stupid decisions and the owners are cheap bastards who occasionally step in and cut their general managers off at the knees. Remember, this is the same ownership group that insisted on making a huge cut in payroll during the 2003 season and they were stupid enough to announce it publicly.

This, of course, guarantees that any intelligent general manager will proceed to rob the Pirates blind. The result: Aramis Ramirez and Kenny Lofton to the Cubs for Jose Hernandez, an injured Bobby Hill and some sack of shit pitcher (Brubak?) who they cut that offseason.

I still can't figure out how they managed to get value for Brian Giles (Bay and Oliver Perez) that same season.

 

I hardly ever get to see him play...he strikes out a bit, but I think he's one of a handful of legitimate 25-40 guys in the league. Off the top of my head, Hanley, Sizemore, Soriano, Upton...I'm sure I'm missing a couple.

Obviously, Upton won't reach the mark this season, neither will Soriano...I'm just talking guys who aren't past their prime (ie Beltran) that possess the tools to likely do so for an extended period of time (I don't just mean do it once, I'm talking four or five straight seasons.).

 

Junior to the White Sox for a pair of players and cash.

Hmmm ... hard to argue that bat won't help in Comiskey.

 

Kemp ... can be ... very, very good. 25-40 is definitely a possibility, except he's too stupid on the basepaths to ever get 40 steals. Seriously, he's the worst baserunner I've seen in the majors the last two years. He's quick, but he makes poor decisions.

Not too great in the outfield, either, but his speed makes up for some judgment mistakes.

But the kid can hit. He's legit, at least in the batter's box. But he's far from reaching his potential ... yet.