Listen, I'm a long-time Manny apologist. All this club house cancer stuff always seemed way out of proportion. The guy was/is one of the best year-to-year elite hitters in the game, so forgive me for not caring if he wanders into the green monster to take a piss once and a while.
There have many Manny trade rumors over the years, some made sense, and some were awful. The one that finally happened, him for Jason Bay, is one that makes sense. Bay will never be what Manny was in his prime, but I doubt Manny will return to his prime anyway. Currently they're a statistical match hitting wise, with Bay being much better in the field and a good six years younger. On paper, Boston definitely comes out ahead, especially looking past this season.
Plus, it would seem that Manny actually did turn into a cancer this year, in possibly exaggerating injuries and refusing to play in games. The Manny of yesteryear never crossed that line. When he did, Theo had to act.
There are concerns about how Bay will react to the spotlight of Boston as opposed to the backwoods of Pittsburgh. Bay's most pressure-packed moment of his career so far isn't exactly encouraging: his zero homers in the 2005 Home Run Derby. Still, let's not judge a man on one day.
I will miss the Manny/Ortiz combo, no doubt. That was one sweet line-up. But still, welcome aboard Jason Bay.
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I think this deal makes a lot more sense when you realize that Boston really only lost 2 months of Manny (because there was no way they'd let him back) and he'd pushed things so far he had to be traded or he could bomb the whole team.
You hear about our big-time pickup? Felipe Lopez? Woohoo!
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