Red Sox Trade Top Prospects for Manny

Apparently Theo was listening to all the concern this off-season about the Red Sox lack of power, because he went and made a huge splash late last night. After quitting on the Sox on multiple occasions and essentially forcing the management to trade him, Manny Ramirez is back in a Boston uniform. The Red Sox sent fan favorite Jacoby Ellsbury, Casey Kelly, Jose Iglesias and cash to the Los Angeles Dodgers for the embattled outfielder.

Theo must have been desperate to bring on a power bat, giving up two top prospects and a fan favorite. If you can ignore the stuff off the field and his dogging it on occasion, Manny’s number’s are extremely impressive and are virtually unmatched over the past several years. Manny’s career average is .313 and he has amassed 546 homeruns in his 16+ year career, while having a slugging percentage of .591. But can his quirky personality be ignored the second time around?

The advantage for the Sox in this deal is that Manny is in the final year of his contract.In the past, Manny has had his best seasons in contract years because he wants to make the big $$$ the next season, so we can expect big things from the crazy left fielder. In his 7 full seasons in Boston, Manny only hit below 33 HRs and 100 RBIs once. He made a name for himself playing the green monster at Fenway with his quick release and numerous outfield assists. If you recall, he also became close friends with the scoreboard operator…

The Red Sox paid a high price to bring back Manny by parting with future ace Casey Kelly and the highly regarded future at shortstop Jose Iglesias. It’s the price Theo had to pay to make the Red Sox a serious World Series contender in 2010. Hopefully it won’t hurt the the organization in the future, but if it means bringing a championship to Boston, it’s worth the sacrifice. Get ready for Manny begin Manny take 2…

HAPPY APRIL FOOLS DAY!