Mike LeClairMaroon-News Staff

The Boston Red Sox were roundly criticized for dealing Manny Ramirez at the trade deadline, but their performance since the deal has silenced most reasonable critics. On July 31, Boston was 61-48, but they have gone 28-15 since then. Manny has done phenomenally for the Dodgers, turning them into a playoff contender, but the impact he has had on the Dodgers is exponentially larger than what he could potentially have done for the Red Sox. This is due in large part to the very solid performance of Jason Bay. As Manny’s replacement in front of the Green Monster, Bay has been very good in the field and solid at the plate. Overall, the most important thing for any sports team is getting victories, and without Manny, the Red Sox are doing that much more efficiently than they did with him.

Chas KurtzMaroon-News Staff

Looking purely at the numbers, the Red Sox are actually better off with Manny out of their lineup. The Red Sox have been much better since the blockbuster trade that sent Manny to Boston for Jason Bay at the deadline. Bay may not put up quite as impressive offensive numbers as Manny, but he is more than adequate in the middle of the Sox lineup. Since the trade, he is batting .300 with 8 homeruns and 34 RBIs. In comparison, a happy and rejuvenated Ramirez is batting an incredible .395 with 14 homeruns and 43 RBIs in 42 games for the Dodgers. As their record since the trade indicates, however, the Red Sox were more than willing to give up a little bit of production to rid themselves of the headache that was Manny Ramirez.

Paul KasabianCopy Editor

While the Red Sox will cruise into the playoffs this year, Boston is definitely not a better team without the dreadlocked head case known as Manny Ramirez. The Washington Heights product hit 11 home runs, knocked in 38 runners and hit for a .321 batting average for the Red Sox in four playoff seasons. This includes last year’s dominating ALCS performance, when he knocked in 10 batters in seven games to put Boston into the World Series. Jason Bay, Ramirez’s replacement in left field, has performed well for the BoSox since coming over from Pittsburgh, but he has yet to play in a meaningful baseball game past the month of May (roughly the time when the Pirates are mathematically eliminated from postseason play every year). This may hurt Bay come October. But most importantly, which outfielder do you think strikes more fear into the hearts of major league pitchers? I don’t even have to answer that question.

Jon LampertSports Editor

Manny Ramirez is a headcase, an atrocious fielder and a bad teammate who seems to only care about himself. That being said, Ramirez is also one of the best hitters of the past 25 years. There are few players that strike more fear in opposing pitchers. Manny is also not afraid to step up in a big spot. No matter how well Jason Bay is playing right now, there is no way he can fill Manny’s shoes. Come playoff time, the Sox will sorely miss Manny being Manny.