I think you and anyone else that suggests the Red Sox should have kept Manny while still trading for Bay miss one very huge factor in this trade. There were 24 other players and 6 coaches on this team that were being adversely effected by Manny and didn't want him around them any loger. Why can't you understand that? Keeping Manny here and making him suffer would only have made the team suffer even more and contributed to the continued poor play that was on the field through most of July.
You see, one thing about keeping Manny is the unknown about just how much more miserable he could have made everyone's life in that clubhouse and how that would have translated into wins and losses. You can't fine Manny large somes of money without due cause because it is against the CBA and the MLBPA would have brought it in front of a league arbiter and the Sox would have lost. You can not suspend him for undue cause because the same thing can happen. Not trading Manny meant that Manny would still be around and that is exactly what 30 other guys in the clubhouse were telling the front office they didn't want to happen.
It is no accident that the Red Sox had the best record in the American League after they traded Manny Ramirez. The difference in the atmosphere around this team was palpable. You could literally feel the difference in the clubhouse and the park from the first game after the trade on. If that cost the Red Sox $7 million but it gets them another world title, that's money well invested in my humble opinion.
Yeah, nice post nick. Immediately prior to the Manny trade, the Sox had lost three straight games, and were 4-8 over their last 12. After the trade, they went something like 34-19. The players wanted Manny to go, including Papi, who used to be one of his best friends on the team. Keeping him would have torpedoed the team.
Also, I don't think the "They would have traded for Giles, so that means there would have been room for both Bay and Manny" argument makes sense. First, I think the timing is important; when they team attempted to acquire Giles, Lowell and Papi were both hurting, and the team wanted some extra depth. Those injuries weren't quite so acute (from memory) when the team traded Manny (or, they were just springing up in Manny's final days).
Secondly, it's a lot easier to make a guy like Brian Giles a part-time player than it is a player like Jason Bay. At the time, Jacoby, Coco, and Drew were all healthy. You would have had five guys who all wanted -- and probably deserved -- to be every day players, including three all-stars. It wouldn't have worked.
Third, it's a lot easier to justify giving up a low-level prospect (i.e., for Giles) than it is to give up top-tier young talent to get a guy you wouldn't be playing full time.
Fourth, Giles was claimed in part to prevent him from going to Tampa. That was as big a part of the trade as was trying to improve our bench.
