MLB Trade Deadline Thread

To those who think Manny was a cancer, I disagree. I think his antics created a nice smokescreen that kept other guys out of the spotlight.

 

buckdub, Kemp already has 26 steals. That puts him on pace for 39 this season even though Torre sat him quite a bit in April.

I don't think he'll get to 40 this year. If nothing else, the crowded outfield is going to cost him some at-bats. But he can get there.

The rest of your assessment is dead on.

 

Angola!, if all you're saying is that Bay won't replace Manny's numbers, well I agree with you completely. But the fact that he played in Pittsburgh doesn't mean he sucks, either.

 

Well, I said it more for hyperbole than an exact assessment of his numbers. He really is that dumb on the basepaths -- hard to tell from highlights, but I watch the rockhead Dodgers most every day by virtue of living out here and he's the worst of the bunch.

You don't usually see that in someone as talented as he is. Usually, those guys do the right things instinctively, if only by accident. The Dodgers haven't been as fortunate with Kemp, Ethier, etc., in that regard.

 

Manny's been a cancer this season. The fight with respected Kevin Youkilis, shoving an elderly team employee to the ground over tickets, publicly embarrassing the franchise while speaking to the media, playing even more lazy and disinterested than usual in his past handful of games. It was time for the two to part ways before Ramirez completely quit on the team like he did in '06, which saw banged-up players like Youk and Lowell suck it up and grind out the rest of a mediocre season while a healthy Manny took an extended vacation. One of the greatest hitter, but he's one of the biggest headcases in recent memory.

Do I like the trade? Considering the circumstances, yes. Manny basically quit and I think he was beginning to become a huge distraction with bad chemistry developing on the defending world champions. This is 2004 all over again, except on a much more extreme stage. It's interested that both Garciaparra and Ramirez helped seal their fate by not playing in a crucial game against the Yankees.

Jason Bay is much, much better than some unproven, early-20s LF. He's an All-Star talent, one of the most underrated hitters in the league, and at 29 years old you'd think he's in the prime of his career. I'm excited to see him play. Brandon Moss will likely be a productive player for Pittsburgh like Sanchez is or like Dave Murphy is in Texas, but would be hardpressed to ever win a starting job with the Sox. I don't think Craig Hansen ever recovered from his make-or-break 2005 ML tryout and the jury's still out with him.

I thought the White Sox also made a tremendous move by picking up Griffey. All in all, it seems like there's usually many more minor deals made before the trading deadline, no?

 

I damn near wrecked my car in my own driveway a couple of hours ago.

I had left the XM on WLW, and they were playing random audio clips mentioning Griffey with somber piano music in the background, like a head of state died. Then the house announcer intones. "Now Ken Griffey Jr. is gone. Who will the Reds turn to to halfass it now? Stay tuned to WLW for the latest updates."

 

Nothing else to add, other than this is a very, very good take - one I never thought of.

 

I would guess Jones and Ethier are out....

 

Just ask Edgar Reteria what he thinks of Manny. He drove him out of town and now the sox are stuck with Julio f**in Lugo.

 

Weird league...

 

Can you show me a single post of a person who said he was that good?

One?

 

Damn... the storylines of a Dodgers/Yankees-Red Sox series are too much to contemplate....