Major League Baseball's Trade Deadline is full of activity

Most years the Major League Baseball trade deadline passes with far less activity than is expected, but this year has proved very different. The trade deadline in 2008 will go down as a day of major activity. There has been a flurry of activity just before the 4 pm eastern time trade deadline today. Big name stars as well as smaller parts have been moving all across the league.

The latest deal, and the one that will most likely get the most press, is a three-way blockbuster deal that involves Manny Ramirez moving to Los Angeles. In the deal Manny Ramirez moves to the NL West to play for the Dodgers, while the Red Sox get Jason Bay from the Pirates. The Pirates will be getting the services of Andy Laroche and Bryan Morris from the Dodgers and Brandon Moss and Craig Hansen from the Red sox. Importantly, the Red Sox will pay all of the remaining $7 million on Manny Ramirez's contract, which ends at the end of this year.

It has been a topsy turvy day for Red Sox fans who are waiting to know whether Manny will stay or go. Earlier in the day there were reports that Manny Ramirez might be traded to the Florida Marlins and that the deal might involve Jeremy Hermida. It was later reported that the Marlins deal was dead because the Red Sox felt that the Marlins were asking too much. Then, just as it appeared the Red Sox were going to keep Ramirez came word that a three-way blockbuster between the Sox, Pirates, and Dodgers had been agreed upon.

Manny Ramirez wasn't the only big name player traded today. Ken Griffey Jr. was traded early this morning to the Chicago White Sox. This trade surprised many in the majors, but the Sox have been looking for some more hitting of late as Paul Konerko continues to struggle mightily. The Reds have been looking to get rid of an outfielder and save some money since the team is out of contention this year and has a nice array of youngsters coming up. The White Sox and Reds will split the cost remaning on Griffey's contract this year as well as the $4 million buyout for 2009.

Who got the best of these two deals?

• In the Ramirez deal I think the Red Sox did quite well. They badly wanted to get rid of Manny, who had become a real problem in the clubhouse. By getting Jason Bay they will suffer some in the short run, but they did get a very good player in return, which is more than some thought they could do.
• In the Griffey deal it is hard to say who will get the best of the deal. In all reality it seems neither team made a huge move, since Griffey is a shell of what he once was and the Reds only got Nick Masset and Danny Richar in return. The Reds may end up winners here just because they saved a decent amount of cash.

What are the other deals that have taken place in the last couple days?

• Mark Teixeira moved from the Braves over to the Angels, with the Braves getting Casey Kotchman and Steve Marek in return. One has to think that the Angels got the best of this deal, fortifying a lineup that could bring them another World Series.
• Arthur Rhodes was traded from the Mariners over to the Marlins to bolster their bullpen. The Mariners acquired Gaby Hernandez, a 21 year old pitcher. Rhodes could help the Marlins this year, since he is so good against lefties, but he is now 38 years of age.
• Pudge Rodriguez moved to the Yankees in exchange for Kyle Farnsworth who will now assume a major role in the Tigers bullpen. Both teams filled needs nicely with this deal.

Time will tell who was the big winner here

Many deals have been made today, but knowing exactly who was the biggest of winners is impossible right now. Some of the minor leaguers that the Pirates got in the three-way blockbuster could turn out to be stars, or Jason Bay could turn out to be a superstar in Boston. At this point it is anyone's guess. The only thing we can be sure of at this point is that there is a lot of activity that has shaken up the baseball world and it will be interesting to see what comes of this!