Boston finally had it's fill of Manny Ramirez
Update 5: Well, if Sports Illustrated's Jon Heyman is to be believed, the title of this post may be accurate once again! Apparently the deal has Manny Ramirez (I hold him personally responsible for this whole mess) going to the Dodgers, Jason Bay heading to the Boston Red sox, and the Pirates getting 4 prospects in return.
Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthall reports that this deal is now pending the commissioner's approval and will send Andy LaRoche, right-hander Bryan Morris (from the Dodgers), outfielder Brandon Moss, and releiver Craig Hansen (from the Red Sox) to the Pirates in return for Bay. That's one hell of a haul for a guy that some in Pittsburgh worried was finished after last year's performance.
I'll remind you all that we've been down this road more times than I can count with Manny "trades" but all the reliable sources are reporting this one now.
More as it's available...
Update 4: Rosenthal is now hearing the same things that Buster Olney was hearing... that this trade is essentially dead.
Update 3: Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports is reporting that the trade talks are "taking off". While we've all been down this road before with Boston and Manny, only the prospects stand in the way of this deal's completion. However, in the trade deadline live chat, ESPN's Jim Callis appears to believe that Will Carroll was overzealous in reporting this trade. While not naming him directly Callis states: "
Jim Callis: (1:04 PM ET ) I deleted the writer's name . . . but yes, I agree with the point. There's such a rush to be first that accuracy gets sacrificed last night, and that's not good. I went to bed last night after reading that a Manny Ramirez deal was on Bud Selig's desk for approval, and that obviously wasn't the case." Update 2: The Boston Herald is reporting this morning that no tentative deal has been reached. CBS Sports is saying that they've found out that neither Ryan Tucker nor Mike Stanton would be included in the deal but confirms that the deals structure is essentially the one we've reported. The sticking point is apparently still the prospects that will be changing hands but I don't see any of the teams involved sticking to their guns to the point of collapsing this deal. Update: The Palm Beach Post confirms the structure of the deal and suggest that one of the prospects the Pirates will receive is right handed pitcher Ryan Tucker.
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The three team deal involving 6 time All-Star Manny Ramirez has been reported to the commissioners office although names of the specific prospects involved have yet to be determined. Baseball Prospectus' Will Carroll reports the structure of the deal as the following:
Marlins get Manny Ramirez, one prospect (BOS), and cash (likely Ramirez’s remaining salary) Pirates get Jeremy Hermida and three prospects (two FLO, one BOS) Red Sox get Jason Bay and John Grabow
Obviously the deal depends heavily on the prospects involved, but the structure of the deal certainly seems reasonable. The Marlins are essentially giving up Hermida and a prospect for two months of Ramirez (they're actually giving up two prospects but will apparently be getting one back) and his $20 million option which I can't see them exercising. The Pirates look to be parlaying Jason Bay and John Garbow into Hermida (a 24 year old outfielder that hits for power) and three prospects. The Red Sox are doing a bit of addition by subtraction, unloading the distracting Manny, while replacing him with Bay (a much cheaper option in left field who is under contract for 2009 as well) as well as filling a hole in their bullpen.
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
you forgot…. and the Yankees get a LF/DH for 2009….
shb,
You know, that’s a very good point. There’s no better way for Manny to stick it to the BoSox than by signing with the Yanks in the offseason.
It should be entertaining!
Ahh, those 2nd and 3rd place teams make rash decisions
Go Tampa Bay!
Good for Manny and everyone involved!