This Blockbuster Makes Sense

Last week the MLB Trade Deadline passed with a number of shocking deadline deals that could decide the overall season outcome. Let's take a closer look at one of these major deals.

The Red Sox/Dodgers/Pirates Three-Way Deal
This was indeed the most shocking deal of the deadline that saw the Red Sox deal away their best hitter, OF Manny Ramirez, to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Furthermore, the Red Sox sent OF Brandon Moss and RP Craig Hansen to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for OF Jason Bay, a former NL Rookie of the Year recepient. To help complete the deal the Dodgers sent OF Andy LaRoche to the Pirates.

The thing that irks me most about this trade is that all of the players involved in this trade have potential to break out in their new settings. Ramirez, who has been complaining for years about Red Sox owners John Henry and Larry Luchino finally got his wish to leave Boston. Now that Ramirez has freed himself from the Boston hierarchy, he has essentially given himself a chance to jumpstart his career in Los Angeles. The Dodgers have one of the worst ranked offenses in the league, and the addition of Ramirez's big-bat could spell a 2008 playoff berth for this once lowly Dodger team. Keep in mind, the Dodgers acquired OF Andruw Jones from the Braves in the offseason and saw a managerial change when they inked former Yankees manager Joe Torre. Jones has been anything but the player he was in Atlanta and although many predicted the Dodgers to be a powerhouse in the NL West, they have been anything but. With the acquisition of Manny Ramirez the Dodgers might have just punched their ticket to the playoffs, but keep in mind they still trail the Arizona Diamondbacks by 1.5 games for the division lead.

Everyone has been worried about the loss of Manny Ramirez to the Red Sox line-up simply because they really don't know who Jason Bay is, or what he is capable of. Well let's clarify that right now, Jason Bay is one of the games most underrated players. He is what many consider to be a 5-tool player and he has shown no signs of slowing down. Bay, who will be 30 this upcoming September , has been one of the league's most consistent hitters for the past 3 seasons. He has hit 20 or more home runs in the past 3 seasons, and is a career .283 hitter.

Now people may be saying he is NOT Manny Ramirez, and that is absolutely true! In fact, Bay could turn out to be BETTER THAN Ramirez, especially with the favorable hitting dimensions for right-handed hitters at Fenway Park. In acquiring Bay the Red Sox got the monkey off their back, they got rid of Manny Ramirez and his antics for a solid, focused and well-spoken for player in the form of Jason Bay.

People can argue this trade up and down, but when it comes down to it, the trade made sense for both the Dodgers and the Red Sox. Fans and sportswriters alike love to talk about Bay's lack of playoff experience (he has never played in a postseason game), but does that really matter? Keep in mind Bay was playing for a Pittsburgh team that hasn't sniffed the playoffs since the days of Barry Bonds and hasn't had a winning season in 15 years! When it comes down to it both teams filled major voids in their line-ups, no matter how you look at it. The Dodgers got themselves the big-bat they were looking for and the Red Sox filled the void of losing Manny by acquiring Bay, who has the potential to be the same caliber hitter than Manny was.

With that being said however, I was stymied by the fact that the Red Sox were willing to part ways with OF Brandon Moss and RP Craig Hansen. I had envisioned Hansen being traded at some point in the future but I was shocked to hear Moss's name involved in the deal. Moss has hit well for the Red Sox when he saw playing time and has shown plenty of potential. Many believe Moss could emerge as the next Dave Murphy (OF-Texas). Murphy was acquired by Texas from the Red Sox just before last year's trade deadline in exchange for RP Eric Gagne. We all know how the Eric Gagne went in Boston, UGLY! But what many people don't realize is that Murphy has emerged as one of the best hitters in the American League this season. He currently holds a .275 BA with 64 runs scored and 74 RBI.

Now I can agree with Red Sox fans when they say Moss was not needed in the outfield considering the Red Sox have a surplus of outfielders (Coco Crisp, Jacoby Ellsbury, J.D. Drew and Jason Bay) but why were the Red Sox willing to part ways with Moss? Wouldn't it have made more sense for them to shed the contract of Coco Crisp? There were no talks about trading Crisp during the deadline and it somewhat shocked me. Crisp was being dangled in a number of trade-talks before the season started, and I was certainly expecting him to be traded at some point mid-season, especially after seeing Moss excel when he received playing time. If you are a Red Sox fan, just pray that Moss isn't another Murphy in the making, or you might be sorry.