Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 1203 of 1503)

Jason Stark of ESPN.com compiled his list of winners and losers from yesterday’s MLB trade deadline.

WINNERS

• Yankees

On the Fourth of July, they were nine games out of first and looking like just another .500-ish team. Now, here the Yankees are, a game behind the Red Sox, four games out of first, a bunch of glaring weaknesses shored up and no more Manny-mania to worry about. (Manny’s career numbers against the Yankees: .321 BA, .1.029 OPS, 55 HRs, 163 RBIs in 200 games.)

Now, they have a left-handed reliever (Damaso Marte) to haul out of the bullpen for every Big Papi occasion, a right-handed bat (Xavier Nady) to fill out the lineup against the Jon Lesters and Scott Kazmirs in their future and a Hall of Fame catcher (though a fading 36-year-old version of Pudge Rodriguez) to plug in for Jorge Posada. So, who would bet against their extending their hallowed stadium’s life into October now?

LOSERS

• Red Sox

The eviction of Ramirez is a story with so many levels that it’s impossible to sum them all up with a one-word label such as “winner” or “loser.” We recognize that. There’s also a value to subtracting a selfish, disruptive, divisive knucklehead like Manny from an otherwise-harmonious, purposeful clubhouse. We recognize that, too.

And Jason Bay is a heck of a player, one who can stick around and patrol left field in Fenway next year, too. We recognize all of that. Honestly, if the Red Sox went out now and won another World Series, it wouldn’t shock us a bit…

How the Yankees got Ivan Rodriguez for Kyle Farnsworth is beyond me. Not too mention Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte for a couple of sub-par minor leaguers, but the Yankees always find a way to fleece teams so what else is new. (And that’s not a shot at the Yankees – it’s not their fault they make great trades.)

And obviously the Red Sox lost a player that helped them win two titles in the past four years, but what were they going to do? Would Manny have played hard for them over the past two months? There was no guarantee of that, especially since he hasn’t played hard in over three weeks. At least they still got a solid bat in Jason Bay and they rid themselves of some nonsense. Bay might not help the Sox win another WS, but it’s not like they got Neifi Perez either.

Several media outlets have not been in favor of the Dodgers’ acquisition of former Red Sox’ outfielder Manny Ramirez.

– Michael Ventre of NBC Sports says that Manny’s “toxic presence will bring the Dodgers down.”

– Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times says that while Ramirez will bring his bat to the Dodgers, he’ll also bring his baggage.

– Gerry Callahan of the Boston Globe just thinks that Manny is a, “Bad, bad man.”

I don’t disagree with any columnist hammering the Dodgers for acquiring such a dynamic (and sometimes destructive) personality in Manny Ramirez. But say this – you always know what you’re going to get with Manny. The Dodgers know that, and that’s why they didn’t hesitate putting a deal together. They need his big bat in their lineup and they’re hoping Joe Torre can manage the attitude. It’s not a match made in heaven, but it’s not like the Dodgers’ clubhouse has been a church choir over the years. This move was purely about acquiring talent.