More Manny

At least Manny won't forget to hit when he comes to California, unlike Andruw Jones.
Anyways...

Pirates seem to really make out here getting Morris, LaRoche(both brothers on the same team now), Hansen and Moss (think Andre Ethier with a lot more strikeouts).  I don't really like Moss as I don't think he will ever turn out to be anything beyond a 4'th or 5'th outfielder because of the high strikeout rate, but he could still turn around.  Hansen is a young, arm who could turn things around and be serviceable.  I'm biased, but LaRoche is the most talented of the prospects that the bucs are getting..  He's not Evan Longoria good, but that power is there.  I've seen it myself.  He will at the very least pound the heck out of mistake pitches.  Who'd have thought Jason Bay would net Pittsburgh 4 prospects? My first reaction would have been just to have dealt for Bay directly and kept him, but on second thought getting Manny makes more sense if all the older rumors of Manny only waiving his no-trade clause to a team in return for a promise to decline his option for '09 allowing him to be a free agent.  Furthermore he would promise to decline an offer of arbitration so the dodgers could get a first round draft pick (plus a supplemental first round draft pick if the team signing Manny is less than 15'th overall in the standings for '08).  Keeping Bay you're dealing with someone who is productive and relatively cheap, but he's 29 already and his next year salary will be 7.5 million dollars (still quite a bargain).  Acquiring bay would have been easier, but the exit strategy would have been harder/murkier.  Would the dodgers be able to offer him arbitration...yada yada.  Plus we get our draft picks sooner.

Plus Manny is one pissed off, ready to prove what a mistake the red sox made by pissing him off and trading him (even though he's the drama queen that kept asking to be traded...but still).  I like the idea of a motivated Manny, and perhaps better draft picks to replace LaRoche and Morris.
Morris wasn't all that hyped when picked.  He was the also-ran I believe in the same draft Kershaw was taken in, so it's understandable why he could get lost in the shuffle. Since assistant gm Logan White has so much success in the draft, Morris in a few years could be making the dodgers wish they hadn't traded for a few months of Manny.

I'm reading on rotoworld that Boras may have injected a clause forcing the dodgers to not offer Manny arbitration (no draft picks :()...which if true kills the deal for me. LaRoche is worth more than 2 months of Manny to me since there is a huge hole over there at third base and Blake DeWitt seems less likely to be able to fill it than LaRoche, but I don't make the decisions, I just get to sit and watch the results. Why would the dodgers give up better prospects to get two months of the older outfielder under no control and with no draft compensation while the red sox gave up more mediocre talents and are more likely to get draft compensation after '09. Boo...