This Week in Baseball 7/28 - 8/3

[TheDevilAndGodAreRagingInsideMe 0]

I doubt Manny goes anywhere.

 

Again.

 

Same shit, different season.

[Guest The Elements of Style]

Does removing Manny Ramirez get the Red Sox closer to a world championship? Answer yes or no.

[naiwf 0]

It gets the Yankees, Rays and Angels closer. That's for sure.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

Does removing Manny Ramirez get the Red Sox closer to a world championship? Answer yes or no.

 

The answer, in the short term, is obviously no (assuming they can do no better than the rumored trade packages). You can't replace that bat on the open market. But with two world championships in the past four years, I can live with that. This year's team is flawed in many ways and keeping Manny will not be the difference in winning the WS. He's not going to learn how to play SS or pitch in the 8th inning. The difference between Manny and Hermida or Kemp is minimal over a two month period.

 

Going forward, I absolutely think it brings us closer to a championship. I'd like to have more than two draft picks for Manny Ramirez. The Sox are a competitor every year and the immediate goal in any Manny trade should be the arrangement of next year's team (the first w/o Manny in eight years). Clearing salary and getting a capable left fielder is the easiest way to keep us in contention. It beats the hell out of giving up 3 or 4 prospects for Matt Holliday or paying $200 million for Mark Teixeira.

[TheDevilAndGodAreRagingInsideMe 0]

It gets the Yankees closer. That's for sure.

 

Which is why I advicate trading him, of course.

[Guest The Elements of Style]

I've had it up to here with both tribes of idiots in the ongoing Cubs-Brewers series. I really don't like where this rivalry is heading, if it's really going to be nothing but tales of drunken brawling from here on out. I enjoy reading the characterizations of the atmosphere over at the Brewers message board. Remember the Family Guy cutaway of a Spike Lee movie where it's like "can I have a slice of pizza?" "BLBALREHJRRGHGHFFUCKSKSRFGRR"? kinda like that. As if drunken fratboy idiots don't exist in Wisconsin. pshaw.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

To put things in perspective for Red Sox fans, this was more or less the same reason the team felt they should trade Babe Ruth.

[TheDevilAndGodAreRagingInsideMe 0]

Lots of people at NYYFans wanted the Yankees to pick up Manny when they put him on waivers a few years ago.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

To put things in perspective for Red Sox fans, this was more or less the same reason the team felt they should trade Babe Ruth.

 

 

Theo Epstein is working on a remake of No, No, Nanette?

 

EDIT: For future purposes, I do understand that funding the play was a myth.

[TheDevilAndGodAreRagingInsideMe 0]

Supposedly the play-financing story is an urban legend.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

To put things in perspective for Red Sox fans, this was more or less the same reason the team felt they should trade Babe Ruth.

 

 

Theo Epstein is working on a remake of No, No, Nanette?

Heh, not quite. Besides being a slugger and pitcher, Ruth was one of the biggest clubhouse distractions in baseball. He set his own training rules, punched umpires, drank, caroused and showed up more or less when he wanted.

[the max 0]

Wait, Manny Ramirez is 24 again? Not 36 and pulling his usual antics in the final year of a contract?

[Failed Bridge 0]

Does removing Manny Ramirez get the Red Sox closer to a world championship? Answer yes or no.

Depends on who they ultimately get to replace him. They are however afraid that he's just gonna quit on them and have to go on the DL for the final two months for a sudden oblique strain or some shit. If its Manny for just prospects then I say no deal but if in the end those prospects get swung off for a Jason Bay or Matt Holiday along with a bullpen arm then I'm all for it.

[KingPK 0]

Does removing Manny Ramirez get the Red Sox closer to a world championship? Answer yes or no.

 

Not this year, but like Cheech said, they've won two out of four so I don't really care if they don't this year. Manny doesn't produce well enough anymore to look past his childishness and, like I said before, this ownership has been looking for ways to dump his attitude and salary ever since they bought the club, so this isn't anything new. This is the best time to do it because the fanbase isn't agonizing for a title and, though there will be an uproar from some people, everyone will end up happy in the end.

 

To put things in perspective for Red Sox fans, this was more or less the same reason the team felt they should trade Babe Ruth.

 

Great, now we'll see a Dan Shaughnessy book titled "Manny Being Curse-y" in a few years.

Edited July 30, 2008 by KingPK

[Guest The Elements of Style]

So basically, what you guys are saying is that you're content with the Red Sox making a white flag trade and unloading Manny Ramirez for prospects because they won it all last year. Okay.

[KingPK 0]

FWIW, I don't think they trade him tonight/tomorrow. They'll pick up one of his options and go full bore during the winter meetings to trade him.

 

No Manny won't sink this team; a bad bullpen, shaky starting pitching from everyone not named Lester and a black hole in the bottom of the lineup will.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

So basically, what you guys are saying is that you're content with the Red Sox making a white flag trade and unloading Manny Ramirez for prospects because they won it all last year. Okay.

 

I haven't seen anyone saying that. How is trading Manny Ramirez waving a "white flag"? The heavily pushed rumor is sending him to Florida for Jeremy Hermida or Josh Willingham. Who knows if that's a possibility or not, but if so, that's not giving up on the season. The Sox, I believe, still have the best run differential in the American League and they went two months without David Ortiz. If they can get a serviceable bat in left and then move prospies for bullpen help they are probably in the same place they are today with Manny. It's not like he's THAT good anymore. He's basically a .900 OPS guy who gives back half of his value with his shitty defense and boneheaded running.

 

For all we know, Manny might sit out the rest of the year with an "injury" (a la 2006) or blow a game we need to win to prove a point (like he did last month against the Yankees). Is it really worth it?

[Bruiser Chong 0]

To put things in perspective for Red Sox fans, this was more or less the same reason the team felt they should trade Babe Ruth.

 

The Babe made cell phone calls from inside the Green Monster, too?

[naiwf 0]

The ESPN bottom line just mentioned that the Red Sox are discussing trading Manny to Florida for three young players but I didn't see any names. Why would the Marlins blow up their team for a two month rental?

[Guest The Elements of Style]

Why would the Marlins assume Manny's contract? This is just more inflated Boston Booyah bullshit. We're fools for discussing it.

[Guest Vitamin X]

The ESPN bottom line just mentioned that the Red Sox are discussing trading Manny to Florida for three young players but I didn't see any names. Why would the Marlins blow up their team for a two month rental?

 

That's how the Marlins have always done business.

[the max 0]

Why would the Marlins assume Manny's contract? This is just more inflated Boston Booyah bullshit. We're fools for discussing it.

 

The Red Sox would assume most of it.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

The Red Sox are going to pay the rest of the contract. Florida gets a HOF bat for the stretch run (and two draft picks) and all they have to do is give up a few prospects. It's a no-brainer for them if they can match up on players going the other way.

[naiwf 0]

The ESPN bottom line just mentioned that the Red Sox are discussing trading Manny to Florida for three young players but I didn't see any names. Why would the Marlins blow up their team for a two month rental?

 

That's how the Marlins have always done business.

 

But they're paying like $17 to field the entire team they have now. It just doesn't make sense to make Boston stronger in the future so Manny can play 50 games and make your team even worse defensively.

 

 

Dan Uggla has to be one of the most braindead players I've seen this year. He just slid into an out at home.

[Mik 0]

If it's Willingham then get it done even if it's not exactly what the Marlins need.

 

If it's Hermida then I don't like it. Manny doesn't solve the Marlins problems and it's not worth Hermida.

[Fökai 0]

The ESPN bottom line just mentioned that the Red Sox are discussing trading Manny to Florida for three young players but I didn't see any names. Why would the Marlins blow up their team for a two month rental?

 

ESPN talking heads are saying that the discussed players would be ones that are arbitration-eligible at the end of the season.

 

So at the end of all of this, the Marlins won't have to pay anybody. And yes, that's the way they've always done business.

[Boon 0]

Why would the Marlins assume Manny's contract? This is just more inflated Boston Booyah bullshit. We're fools for discussing it.

Feel free not to.

 

The Angels are looking really good right now. The Yankees are making the right moves to get better and the Rays aren't going away. It's going to be really interesting to see who comes out of the American League this year.

[jimmy no nose 0]

This could be huge:

I’m hearing that a multi-team deal involving Jason Bay and the Florida Marlins is in the “final stages.” This could involve the previously in-place dealings involving Manny Ramirez as reported by our own John Perrotto. Joe Frisaro of MLB.com thinks that Bay could end up in Boston, Jeremy Hermida in Pittsburgh, and prospects flying every which way. My sources agree, though I will update as details become clearer.

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/unfiltered/?p=966

[TheDevilAndGodAreRagingInsideMe 0]

The last week of July always delivers.

[Mik 0]

I have no idea what to make of any of this.

 

If we lose ANY of the following: Chris Volstad, Ryan Tucker, Matt Dominguez I will be HORRIFIED.