Transaction Analysis
Red Sox sign Manny Ramirez for 8 years, $160 million
Wow. You never
thought this would happen. It
doesnt seem as crazy in the wake of the A-Rod bombshell, but $20 million a
year is a level I never thought Manny would reach. Is it too much? Probably, in a purely baseball sense,
but its better to overpay for a superstar than a Kevin Appier or a Derek
Bell, and with all the deferred money in the deal, this becomes a
worthwhile contract for the Sox.
Manny immediately transforms one of the worst offenses
in baseball last season into a force to be reckoned with. Everyone knows what Ramirez can do with
the bat, and inserting him into a line-up behind two-time defending AL
batting champion Nomar Garciaparra (which Jimy Williams may or may not do...)
should only increase his production. The best thing about the Sox signing Ramirez is that now everyone else
can hit in the spot in the batting order that theyre best suited for. Last year they didnt have a legitimate
clean-up hitter, and the offensive production was brutal. For the next 8 years, they have one of
the best in the game.
The thing with this signing compared to the other big
three signings is that Ramirez addresses a glaring need of the Red
Sox. Do the Yankees need another
starting pitcher more than a big bat or some youth? Do the Rangers need A-Rod any more than they need any pitcher? Do the Rockies need any
pitcher? The fact that Boston needs
Manny this bad makes this TripleSteals first grand slam. Its a lot of money, but Boston couldnt
have spent it any more wisely than this.
Triple Steal
Rating: Grand Slam
Red Sox Team Page
More Transactions
TripleSteal Rating Scale:
Grand Slam - A
can't miss move; automatically makes the team
considerably better.
Home Run - A great move;
will help the team now and down the road.
Triple - A good move; plugs
a temporary hole or will help in the future.
Double - An average move;
team will get what they paid for.
Single - A head-scratcher;
could help, but we definitely don't see how.
Out - A panic move; tells
fans "hey, we're trying..."
Double Play - A disaster;
will make fans angry just thinking about it.
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