How was your Thursday? Did you spend it clicking on your favorite baseball site, trying to find out what was going to happen before the trading deadline? Here’s how my Thursday morning (on the West Coast) went.

 

Manny Ramirez is a Marlin. No, Manny’s not a Marlin, Manny is staying in Boston. Wait, the Dodgers are involved. No, the Dodgers aren’t involved. Manny is in a three-team deal with the Pirates and Marlins. No, Manny is not. Manny’s a Red Sox for the rest of the year. Wait, the Blue Jays are interested. No, that’s for Jason Bay, not Manny. The Manny deal is dead, but the Rays are going to deal for Bay. Wait, the Manny deal has been resurrected, but Florida wants Boston to pay for Manny’s salary, and an additional $2 million. That deal is done.

 

It’s 1:00, and Manny is still a Red Sox, Bay’s still on the Pirates, and the Dodgers’ big deal was picking up Casey Blake. Big deal. The deadline has passed.

 

But wait, there’s more. While the deadline has passed, all the information hasn’t been let out yet. There’s still a chance. Who wants to play “Spin the Manny wheel and see where he ends up” game? Well, as you all know, Manny got dealt to, of all places, Los Angeles. The only way the Dodgers make this deal is if someone pays for Manny, as Dodger owner Frank McCourt doesn’t pay for anything anymore. Don’t believe me? Check out Blake, Angel Berroa, and Pablo Ozuna. Add their combined Dodgers’ salary to a couple of bucks, and you can get a coffee at Starbucks, assuming your Starbucks is still open.

 

Apparently, after squandering millions on Juan Pierre, Jason Schmidt and Andruw Jones, McCourt is a bit gun-shy about spending money. That’s OK, as he brought in Manny without paying a cent. More power to him. Pirates fans must be scratching their heads, as the Bucs dump one of the best players they have had this century and in return get four guys who will never make a trip to the Major League All-Star Game without a ticket. I’ll list the names, as it will be the only time you read about more than one of these guys in a fantasy column: Andy LaRoche, Bryan Morris, Craig Hansen and Brandon Moss. One site I read claimed that Pittsburgh got “prospects.” I think they meant to write “suspects”, as these guys aren’t going to do anything but get paid a salary.

 

There are going to be a few dozen columns about how Manny will do in L.A, how Bay will do in Pittsburgh, and how the four "prospects" will do in Pittsburgh’s minor league system. Today, I want to take a slightly different approach and instead look at how the remaining members of each team will be doing, based upon the addition and/or subtraction in this deal.

 

First off, let’s check out Boston. Boston is losing Manny and his attitude and big bat and gaining Jason Bay. While Manny was a liability in left field, Bay is average to a bit above average. He doesn’t yet know how to handle the Monster in left, but neither did Manny, and Bay has better range. Offensively, Bay is good, but he’s not Manny. Assuming Bay takes Manny’s clean-up spot, David Ortiz may not see as many quality pitches to hit. If Bay goes into the three spot, then Ortiz will have Mike Lowell or J.D. Drew protecting him. Any way you look at it, Ortiz may end up with more walks as a result of the deal. No one else in the Boston lineup is likely to be too affected by the trade.

 

As for Los Angeles, the Dodgers finally got the bat they have been looking for. Unfortunately for Dodger pitchers, Manny uses his bat in the outfield rather than his glove. OK, that’s not entirely accurate, but there are many times that Manny would be just as effective using a bat, or a frying pan, as he is using his glove. The trade for Manny means that someone has to play center field; Juan Pierre and Manny both can’t play left. Neither has the arm or ability to play right, meaning that Matt Kemp will likely move there. That puts Pierre and his pop-gun arm in center--not a pretty thought for any of the Dodger fly ball pitchers.

 

Andre Ethier is likely the odd man out, meaning that his playing time is going to be cut even further. Ethier owners were rejoicing when Joe Torre finally announced that he was putting Andruw Jones out to pasture. Now, less than a week later, Ethier is out of a job. Jones owners (are there any of you out there?) will find their former hero either designated for assignment or used as a defensive replacement. If Jones had any value prior to the trade, he doesn’t have any at all now.

 

Offensively, the Dodgers will be significantly more formidable, with Pierre and Russell Martin being the two to benefit most, as they will have a real bat behind them. Expect Kemp to rise to the occasion, as well.

 

With respect to the Pirates, they will call up some young outfielder to take Bay’s spot. Andrew McCutchen isn’t yet ready. Smart money right now (though smart money is never wagered on the Pirates) has Brandon Moss getting a two-month audition in Pittsburgh. Ryan Doumit’s numbers look to take the biggest toll as a result of the deal, because with Xavier Nady and Bay gone, there is absolutely no reason for any pitcher to throw a Doumit a pitch within a foot of the strike zone. Doumit will have no protection of any sort, and very few base runners to bat in, assuming he even a pitch to hit. If you’ve been riding the Doumit train this season, it may be time to get off, or at least temper your expectations. When Jose Bautista and Doug Mientkiewicz are your starting infield corners, well, you get the idea.

 

If you’ve got any Pirate starting pitchers, you have more problems than I can solve in one column. Tyler Yates and John Grabow will compete for the save opportunity in the Pirates’ weekly single victory. Milwaukee gets the Pirates nine more times in August and September, and Houston sees the Bucs seven times, making those pitchers quite likely to put up solid numbers in those games. The Pirates are now to the National League what Seattle is to the American League.

 

Finally, one last note on Andy Marte. After I railed on him last week, I looked over his numbers and the fact that he was given a starting gig in Cleveland, and I actually picked him up in my National Fantasy Baseball Championship league. Marte has played four games thus far this week, going a combined two for eighteen. I should have listened to myself.

 

Best of luck.

 

Buster