What was dismissed as "fantasy" earlier today by the Boston Herald is now ALMOST a done deal. In the proposed 3-way deal, the Marlins would get Manny Ramirez from the Red Sox, the Pirates would get Jeremy Hermida from the Marlins and the Sox would get Jason Bay from the Pirates. There would also be several prospects moving between the teams.
Will Carroll from Baseball Prospectus says the rumored deal could be the following:
Marlins get Manny Ramirez, one prospect (BOS), and cash (likely Ramirez’s remaining salary)
Pirates get Jeremy Hermida and three prospects (two FLO, one BOS)
Red Sox get Jason Bay and John Grabow
Carroll also points out that the Commissioner's office has been notified of the deal, so if this rumored deal is approved, what started out as fantasy is now fact.
Manny is certainly an upgrade over Hermida in the Marlins lineup. Pittsburgh gets Hermida who was once one of baseball's top prospects before a few injuries slowed the start of his career. He will man RF for the Pirates. The Sox will probably not skip a beat with Bay replacing Manny in the their lineup.
What remains is what prospects the Pirates get in this deal, but on the surface, they appear to have made a great deal for Bay. This trade will make the Marlins a solid contender in the competitive NL East. And the Sox will continue with a more harmonious clubhouse.
And it appears the Marlins are not done yet, as it is being reported that Mike Jacobs was pulled from tonight's game vs. the Mets in the 6th inning for no apparent reason. It is being speculated that he will be dealt to the Giants for catcher Benjie Molina. The Marlins had been rumored to be in the market for a catcher for several weeks now.
If these two deals go down, the Marlins lineup will be one of the best in the NL, if not the best with Hanley, Uggla, Cantu, Manny, Molina, Willingham, and Ross. I assume Wes Helms becomes the everyday 1bman if Jacobs is dealt.
Who knew the Marlins would be this active before the trade deadline. Wonder what Omar is thinking right now? Probably kicking himself for not going after one of his favorite players. Will he give up Fernando Martinez in a deal to counteract this proposed Marlins deal?
In other trade rumor activity:
The Yankees trade much maligned middle releiver Kyle Farnsworth to Detroit for catcher Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez . Pudge fills the Yankees need for a solid hitting catcher, and they get rid of one of their worst releivers at the same time-a win-win for the Yankees. Hank better re-sign Cashman before Frank McCourt grabs him in the offseason.
The Rockies apparently will decide this evening whether to deal closer Brian Fuentes to the highest bidder.
The Dodgers apparently are in discussions to trade for Greg Maddux. Is Penny not completely healthy?
And I think it might be easier to drill for oil in Alaska than to get to Will Carroll's story on BP's site....AMAZING. I've been trying to get to it for the last 20 minutes.
UPDATE: Ken Rosenthal from Foxsports reports the following on the Greg Maddux to LA rumor:
If the Padres are going to trade right-hander Greg Maddux to the Dodgers, they would need to move quickly and overcome significant financial hurdles. The two sides spoke Wednesday, but the Dodgers put the Padres on hold as they continue to work on other deals.
Other deals?? I would hope they do not involve any of the following-Kemp, Loney, Martin, Bills, Broxton, Laroche. But that's just me.