I was in for a huge shock yesterday. The downside of my current job is that except for Thursdays and Fridays, I have little to no connection to the outside world, which is interesting feeling. Anyway. I came home yesterday to find out that Manny was traded, Griffy was traded, Texieria was traded, and Pudge was traded. I had no idea about any of these trades until 6:00 yesterday. Now that shock of Hall of Famers and All-Stars have been traded has passed, here are my opinions on how they will impact the teams these players have joined:
Red Sox:
They traded away Manny and got Bay. I like Jason Bay a lot, I do not think he is an equal replacement for Manny. I am happy that Bay is with the Red Sox because he is an excellent player got robbed of the attention that he deserves because he was with the Pirates. He will jump to Saint status with the rest of the Red Sox because it is Boston. About Manny, he is critical to the RISP part of that lineup. Without him, the Sox will struggle a bit. This trade does not help their playoff chances, it can only hurt them. (Unless the clubhouse problems were that bad that moral will change without Manny).
Dodgers:
Getting Manny will help. Jones was supposed to be the big bat to help out LA but we all know how that story has gone. Manny will help that lineup although his RBI production will dip due to LA's lineup compared to Boston's. That division is tight, borderlines mediocrity, and any help can change the outlook for this team. Blake will also help them in their run to the division title.
Angels:
They are a lock for the division now and are starting to look like the AL Pennant winners on paper. Texieria makes their lineup that much better, and it already is great. This offseason will be interesting for LA because they might not be able to pay K-Rods demands, and they won't be able to pay Texerias demands.
Yankees:
The Red Sox didn't help their chances, the Yankees did. It cost them a piece for their bullpen but their offense was helped by adding Nady and their catcher woes have been solved by Pudge. The Pudge deal overshadows the Nady deal that I feel will really help out the Yanks. The Rays didn't do anything. I hope the Rays can hold on to their lead.
White Sox:
The Sox have been playing very well this year. This deal could be the missing piece, it could overall hurt the Sox if it disrupts their clubhouse. Overall, he helps, but not that much.
