Though foxsports.com and Buster Olney reported that the three-way trade involving Manny Ramirez, Jason Bay and Jeremy Hermida was moving along smoothly, Peter Gammons is reporting that the deal is dead. The main reason is that the Marlins are asking the Red Sox for more than the $7 million previously agreed upon. With this, the Red Sox would give up $9 million, two prospects and Manny Ramirez for Jason Bay. Gammons also reports that Ramirez has not been contacted this morning, which is a big deal because he has to sign off on the trade and waive his no-trade clause. UPDATE: Jayson Stark says the deal is indeed dead, with the Pirates blaming the Marlins, the Marlins blaming the Pirates and the Red Sox unhappy with both teams.
The White Sox have acquired Ken Griffey Jr. from the Reds for Nick Massett and Danny Richar. The trade has been approved by both teams, and Griffey has waived his no-trade clause, so it's a done deal. As it stands, it appears that Griffey will return to centerfield, which he last played in 2006. Then, Nick Swisher will spend the majority of the time at first base, replacing the struggling Paul Konerko.
Garrett Anderson and Joe Saunders were the stars of the Angels' 9-2 win over Boston Wednesday night, which stretched LAA's record to 8-1 against their postseason nemesis. The Red Sox struggles could possibly stem from the ongoing Manny Ramirez saga (Ramirez started in LF Wednesday), or it could possibly be that the Angels are just the better team (a distinct possibility). Finally: in his first game with the Angels, Mark Teixeira went 0-4.
There is a large wedge stuck between Manny Ramirez and the Red Sox that will likely end their eight-year relationship Thursday. "The Red Sox don't deserve a player like me," Ramirez said in an interview with ESPN Deportes. "During my years here, I've seen how they have mistreated other great players when they didn't want them to try to turn the against them." Ramirez went on to further rip the Red Sox, citing Nomar Garciaparra and Pedro Martinez as the "other great players."
The Red Sox are extremely close to trading the future Hall-of-Famer to Florida in a three-team trade that would also involve Pittsburgh. One of the problems is that Pittsburgh reportedly feels that they aren't receiving enough in return for Mike Grabow and Jason Bay. For more details about the number of trades being discussed, head over to John Heyman's article and expect updates leading up to the deadline in this space.
