The Milwaukee Brewers are reportedly close to offering CC Sabathia a five year, $100-million deal.

For the Brewers, as a mid-market franchise, this is about as high as they can go. Anything more would not be in the best interest of the organization, given their limited revenue stream.

However, the market for Sabathia will enable him to generate a substantially greater number, in dollars and years. The Milwaukee offer on the table, then, is more than likely a feigned attempt to keep the fan base from getting upset for not making a real effort to keep him.

Which is eerily similar to the Los Angeles Dodgers' alleged, but not confirmed, two-year $60-milllion contract proposal for slugger Manny Ramirez before the start of the World Series.

Clearly, the Brewers know that Sabathia is going to reject the offer, but now they can unequivocally say that they made a hard push to bring him back. As great as the left-hander was—11-2, 1.65 ERA in 17 starts—a team with their financial limitations should never tie up such a large percentage of its payroll into one player, especially a starting pitcher.

Milwaukee has an excellent farm system, a solid young core at the major league level and some of the brightest stars under 25 in the National League. GM Doug Melvin knew this when he pulled the trigger and made the trade with the Cleveland Indians this summer, acquiring Sabathia as pure rental, plain and simple, to help the club end its long postseason drought.

Well, it worked, helping to generate a buzz about the team in the Wisconsin area as the Brew Crew reached the October playoff tournament for the first time since 1982.

The rental is over now, however. Sabathia has to be returned to Blockbuster, or the free-agent market, and is likely going to sell his services to the highest bidder.

Ben Sheets will bolt for more money as well.

Even with a dramatically different roster, though, do not be surprised to see the Brewers back in the mix again in 2009. They are doing the right thing here, sticking with their plan from July, and will cash in on compensation picks when their two star pitchers bolt for big dollars this winter. In fact, one could make the case that the money on the table may potentially cripple the long-term health of the franchise if an agreement is reached, even if Sabathia were to remain dominant and healthy for the duration.

Sabathia Market: There are not too many teams that have the financial resources to realistically make a run at Sabathia. The favorites at this point appear to be the Dodgers, depending on what route they decide to take with Ramirez, and the New York Yankees. From right here, it looks like Sabathia will end up in the Bronx, providing the Yankees with a clear-cut ace at the front of their rotation. New York is moving into a new stadium, which will increase their already unparallel revenue stream. In addition, there is a ton of money coming off the books, giving Brian Cashman a lot of room to work with. If it comes down to a bidding war, no team will be able to match the Bombers, who could end up with several of the premier free agents on the market, including slugging first baseman Mark Teixeira.

The Phillies won the opener of the NLCS last night, as Chase Utley and then Pat Burrell connected for home runs off of Dodgers starter Derek Lowe in a three-run sixth inning.

While Citizen’s Bank Park is a hitter-friendly environment, Lowe hardly ever surrenders any long balls. And with a 2-0 lead headed into the sixth, it appeared as if the veteran right-hander and his club were going to cruise to a solid Game 1 win.

And, boy, that would have been huge for L.A. If they had beaten the Phils’ most effective starter, Cole Hamels, on the road, they would be in great shape right now.

But then Rafael Furcal made an uncharacteristic error, Utley and Burrell went yard and Hamels and the Phillies never looked back.

Inside The Box Score:

Phillies’ Side—

• The Phillies, as they have done consistently in the past, scored all of their runs in one inning. All runs came via the long ball as well.

• Burrell, catcher Carlos Ruiz and Utley combined for six of the Phillies’ seven hits. Hamels, who ripped a solid line shot into center field, had the other.

• Ruiz, who posted a line of .219/.320/.300 during the regular season, finished 2-for-3.

• Brad Lidge tossed a perfect ninth inning to pick up the save. Lidge, perhaps a sleeper Cy Young candidate, has now converted 44 saves in as many chances. It took him a while to overcome a hangover from the 2005 NLCS—when he gave up that monstrous shot to Albert Pujols while with the Astros—but he has reestablished himself as one of the most dominant closers in the game with Philadelphia. During the regular season, in fact, he was practically untouchable, limiting opposing hitters to an anemic line of .198/.295/.269 and .563 OPS while posting a 1.95 ERA in 72 appearances. If the Phils’ have the lead late in the game, Charlie Manuel can feel confident that his club is going to leave with a W.

• Hamels, by the way, was not too shabby on the mound on Thursday, either. The 24-year-old southpaw scattered two earned runs on six hits in seven solid innings, striking out eight. He threw 70 out of 105 pitches for strikes, though he did walk two batters.

Dodgers’ side—

• In case you had not heard, Manny Ramirez is a freakishly amazing, out-of-this-universe stud of a hitter. Ramirez picked up where he left of from the Division Series, driving a deep double to center field to score Andre Ethier in the first inning and stake the Dodgers an early lead. He finished 2-for-4, raising his postseason line to .500/.611/.1000. If you are scoring at home, that is a 1.611 OPS. Granted, the sample size is too small to get all worked up about, but this guy has been unbelievable since making the trip to the West Coast. As much pub as he gets, he kind of deserves it.

Tim McCarver can insult his behavior however he wants, but Ramirez has shown why he is arguably the best hitter in baseball when he is locked in. As a Dodger, he just does not make any outs, it seems. He blasted 17 bombs in 53 games after the trade, slugging .743 with a 1.232 OPS. In Citizen’s Bank Park, it might not be the in the Phillies’ best interest to throw him anything near the strike zone, unless they go up-and-in.

• While the Dodgers are certainly not happy about losing, there were some positives. This starts with the bullpen work, as three Dodger relievers combined to shut down the Phillies’ offense after Lowe was removed from the game with one out in the sixth inning.

• Chan #### Park—yes, that Chan #### Park is still pitching—retired two batters to get out of the frame with any more damage. Park, by the way, has provided a nice comeback story for baseball. While it is certainly not on the Ankiel/Hamilton level of overcoming the odds, it is quite amazing that he is back, and effective, in the majors at this point. He posted a 3.40 ERA in 54 games, including five starts, allowing 36 earned runs in 95.1 innings pitched. Sure, he pitched in ’07 with the Mets, but did anyone outside of Queens pick up on that?

• Well, now that the Chan #### tangent is out of the way, another unsuspecting reliever who pitched well was Greg Maddux. Maddux, one of the greatest starting pitchers of all time, tossed a scoreless seventh. His stuff is below-average now, but he still has excellent command and knows how to pitch. Still, though the inning of work may not seem significant in the loss, it does have other implications. This means that he will not make a start in the series, as Clayton Kershaw, who has tremendous stuff, will get the nod.

• Hong-Chih Kuo, who posted a 2.14 ERA, 96-to-21 K/W ratio and 1.01 WHIP in 42 regular season appearances, tossed a perfect ninth. Even without Saito, the Dodgers truly have an excellent bullpen, though some of the aforementioned stats were inflated by a friendly home pitching environment.

• Like Philadelphia, L.A. combined for seven hits. Man-Ram and Ethier combined for four of them, with Russell Martin, James Loney and Matt Kemp collecting the others.

Some other things that popped into my head.

• It is weird seeing Maddux in a relief role.

• Jeff Kent is old.

• Nomar belongs on the bench, even though Loney’s splits against lefties are far from impressive.

• This game featured two of the most exciting, fast leadoff-hitting shortstops in the game in Furcal and Jimmy Rollins. And they are both switch hitters, too. But neither player reached base, combining to go 0-for-8, and Furcal had the error. Still, it has to be nice to get him back in the lineup for L.A. He was a monster in April before his injury, posting a .357/.439/.573 slash stats line in 36 games overall.

Thinking about Game 2, it should be interesting to see which Brett Myers shows up. Myers was garbage in the first half, before being demoted to the minors. He returned to Philly rejuvenated, putting together a nice little string of quality starts together. He did struggle, however, in September.

Even with an effective Myers going for Philadelphia, L.A. has the edge in Chad Billingsley, who has excellent stuff and struck out 201 in 200.2 innings pitched during the regular season. Billingsley can shut any offense down on any given night, and was perhaps the most valuable arm on the Dodgers all year—16-10, 3.14 ERA, 1.34 WHIP. Anything can happen in one game, or a short series, which is why postseason baseball predictions are so ridiculous. Plus, the ballpark effect will play a factor, as the Coors Field of the East might play a role again. (Hey, if the game had been played in L.A. last night, Burrell and Utley would still be homerless for the series.) Still, I like the Dodgers in the second game.

Any thoughts on the series? 

Will Sabathia end up a Yankee?

Since I do not really want to focus on a particular subject right now, I am going to pull a Mark Kriegel, focusing on various random topics in the baseball world.

—According to Jon Heyman of SI.com, the New York Yankees want to sign at least two of the three premier free agent starting pitchers on the market—A.J. Burnett, Derek Lowe and CC Sabathia.

Although Sabathia has said that money will not be the ultimate factor that drives a decision for him, I have a difficult time taking him at his word. Sabathia has said all the right things to the local Milwaukee media, but he is going to follow the money. And, since the Yankees have unlimited financial resources to work with (especially when moving into a new ballpark), there is no team that can match them in a bidding war. Also, Sabathia recently shot down the rumors that he is interested in returning to California. He certainly could end up in a number of other potential cities, but New York—with the Mets as a slim possibility—seems like the best bet.

Lowe, a Scott Boras client, has had a nice season for the Los Angeles Dodgers, posting a 3.24 ERA and 1.13 WHIP in 34 starts. Using his excellent sinkerball, the 35-year-old right-hander went 7-3 with a 2.38 mark after the All-Star break, limiting hitters to a .226 batting average in 87.0 innings. He has also pitched well in the postseason to this point, picking the right time, for Boras and his bank account, to find his groove on the mound.

Burnett has not told the Toronto Blue Jays if he will opt out of his contract—yet. Odds are, though, this will happen fairly soon, leaving him as a realistic option for Brian Cashman and the Yankees. He won 18 games in Toronto in 2008, but posted a higher ERA (4.07) than his career average (3.81). The 31-year-old right-hander is also always an injury threat, but can miss bats as well as anyone in the business—231 Ks in 221.1 innings pitched. If I were a betting man, I would say that he will be pitching in the Pinstripes next year alongside Sabathia, not Lowe.

—The Chicago Cubs picked up the option on Rich Harden’s contact yesterday. This was the right decision by the Cubs. While Harden is always at risk of injury, he is a dominant pitcher when he is healthy enough to pitch. Since coming over to Chicago in a midseason trade with the Oakland Athletics, he posted a 1.77 ERA while striking out 89 in 71.0 innings pitched. Jim Hendry was not left with a lot of time to make a decision, sure, but he made the right choice—a recent test showed that he had no structural damage in his right shoulder.

 
Stay away, Troy.

—There is a lot of talk about whether or not Troy Percival will be put on the Tampa Bay Rays’ ALCS roster. Well, if it were up to me, I would say, no. Percival is a veteran who has World Series experience, two factors which have led several mainstream analysts and writers to talk about how he is an essential piece to the puzzle and needs to be on the roster. To their credit, he certainly has had a tremendous positive impact on several of the Rays’ young talented arms, all while helping to instill a culture of winning in the clubhouse. However, based on his performance in the second half—6.11 post-All-Star break ERA, 16 walks in 17.2 innings pitched—and an obvious decline in his command and stuff, Joe Maddon can no longer trust him with a lead late in the game. Period.

The closer-by-committee group of Grant Balfour, who throws absolute smoke, Chad Bradford, one of the best groundball specialists in the games who practically never surrenders home runs, and Dan Wheeler has a better chance of getting the job done in the ninth inning with the game on the line. So, whoever says that this relief method does not work, think again—talent is the secret ingredient, though.

So while the talking heads will give the bullpen advantage to Boston, which does have a better pure closer in Jonathan Papelbon, not having a healthy Percival is not that big of a deal. Even if the veteran righty is healthy, he does not deserve to be pitching important innings at this stage of the season.

Picks for the upcoming series—

Although anything can happen in a short series, I will offer up my picks for the upcoming LCS in each league.

American League—

Throw the experience argument out the window right now. Despite what they say on TBS, the Rays will not be intimidated by the Red Sox. It really comes down to talent more than anything else, but all of the talk about heart and such makes for a more compelling story to some journalists.

If Tampa Bay could not handle the pressure, though, would they have won the AL East? Every time these two teams met up in the regular season, it seems, the same stories would show up about how the young, pesky Rays would fade under the pressure.

Well, they did not, outlasting the Red Sox to win baseball’s most competitive division.

With that being said, too many people are also focusing on how the Rays won the regular season series, 10-8. Well, throw that argument out the window, too. This time last week, everybody in the media was talking about how the Los Angeles Angels dominated Boston all year as well, and look how that series turned out.

One thing is for sure, though. These teams have battled it out all year, and it is going to be an exciting series.

Boston has the better offense, in my opinion, and are always a threat to hang up a 13-spot like they did off of Scott Kazmir in September. They led the league with a .358 on-base percentage, meaning that they will force Tampa Bay pitchers to throw strikes. And they have so many guys—from MVP candidates Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilus to Big Papi—who can cause tremendous damage with one swing of the bat.

But the Rays’ pitching staff has shown that they are up to the challenge. James “Big Game” Shields will start Game 1 like he did in the Division Series. Shields is likely to last until at least the seventh inning, which will be good for his bullpen with Scott Kazmir—who labors and has had trouble making it through five lately—taking the hill in Game 2. If he can turn in a quality start—perhaps similar to his complete game shutout against Boston back in April—and the Rays can jump out to an early series lead, they may never look back.

Daisuke Matsusaka, similar to Kazmir, has not been efficient with his pitches. The Rays need to make him throw strikes, showing sound plate discipline, because when he does throw it over the plate, he is tough to hit (lowest opponents’ batting average in the majors).

The other pitching matchups are equally as intriguing. Which Kazmir will show up? The guy who was so dominant in June and July or post-All-Star break Kaz?

Jon Lester has been excellent in the postseason, and has really emerged as a frontline starter. Lester, in fact, seems to be the ace of the Boston staff right now. It will be tough for Tampa Bay to scrape runs across against him. Ditto for Josh Beckett, who had a down year but is still one of the best big-game pitchers in the game.

Matt Garza, though, can shut any offense down on any given night in his own right.

All-in-all, the pitching matchups seem pretty even—though Andy Sonnanstine is a better fourth option than Tim Wakefield.

The Rays have the better defense—having converted more balls put into play into outs than any other team in the majors—and I think the edge in bullpen.

So, while anything can happen (cannot stress this enough), I choose the Rays if they can continue to throw strikes, catch the ball and get the timely hits, from nearly everyone on the roster, like they have been doing all along.

The key for them, though, is to get into the Boston bullpen early and often. Papelbon is lights out, but the link to the controversial closer has been a problem at times. Manny Declaremen and Justin Masterson have helped a great deal in the second half, but the Rays will have an easier time scoring runs off the likes of Mike Timlin than a Beckett or Dice-K or Lester.

Another X factor to be considered is homefield advantage. Both the Rays and Red Sox are much better at home than on the road. Tropicana Field has been kryptonite for Boston in ’08, albeit in a small sample size, and the Rays had the majors’ best record at home. Still, the Red Sox were not too far behind, as they love playing in front of the hometown crowd at Fenway Park—a tough environment to play in for an opposing team.

Since the series starts at the Trop, where the Rays are 20-2 in games with 30,000-plus fans in attendance (the cowbell effect), they have the edge in this regard. But, though they took two out of three at Fenway in September, winning at least one game on the road will be quite a challenge.

It is going to be exciting, but, due to all of the factors and my tremendous bias for the new pride of St. Pete (though my cousin plays in the Red Sox organization), I am going with the Rays. In seven.

National League—

I am a bit lazy to make a case right now, after going on a seemingly endless tangent about the ALCS, but I think the Philadelphia Phillies will take the cake in the series.

Cole Hamels is a stud, though he does not have the mid-90s heat. Brad Lidge has been a stud all year, having converted 41 saves in 41 tries. And the Phillies also have a number of great relievers to bridge the gap to Lidge.

Plus, Ryan Howard has been on an insane tear since September. Howard, the NL leader in homers and RBIs, has posted a ridiculous .1000-plus OPS over the past 30 games, picking the right time to get hot while doing enough in 30 days to enter the MVP conversation.

Pat Burrell can mash as well. Shane Victorino and Jimmy Rollins do a nice job of setting the table. And, in hitter-friendly Citizens Bank Park, they are going to score some runs.

Sinkerball pitcher Lowe will negate some of that, but I like the Phils at home, and see them taking at least one game in Los Angeles.

Manny Ramirez is on fire, too, Rafael Furcal is back, the Dodgers’ pitching has been excellent and the matchups favor the flavor of the month in the NL. But I am not buying into them yet.

Sure,they made fools out of the best team in the NL last week, and Man-Ram is playing on a whole other level. The Phillies, however, were the better team all year, in a tougher division.

Phillies in six.

To reach Tyler Hissey, send an email to TylerHissey@gmail.com.

The Arizona Diamondbacks improved their chances of winning the National League West on Monday, working out a waivers deal with the Cincinnati Reds for slugging outfielder Adam Dunn in exchange for three prospects.

Dunn will be a huge upgrade for Arizona, which has struggled to score runs since its tremendous stretch during April. The Diamondbacks currently have a one-game lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers in the division, sitting with a 60-58 record. They have gotten to this point, though, by relying on excellent pitching at the front of the starting rotation.

Brandon Webb has led the way, going 17-4 with a 2.88 ERA and 139-to-41 K/W ratio. Webb is currently atop league leaders in nearly every statistical pitching category, using his tremendous sinker to consistently put up zeros on the scoreboard. As of this writing, he appears to be the easy favorite to win his second Cy Young Award in three seasons.

Dan Haren, acquired from the Oakland Athletics in a deal this offseason, has been tremendous in his own right, perhaps becoming ace 1A to Webb. Haren has made a solid adjustment to the senior circuit—as many predicted—and is currently fourth in the NL with 147 strikeouts and eighth with a 3.00 ERA.

Randy Johnson has flashed glimpses of dominance as well, especially considering that he has now had to overcome two back surgeries after his 40th birthday. Johnson has struck out nearly a batter per inning, registering a 114-to-29 K/W ratio in 21 starts. While the 44-year-old left-hander is no longer the same pitcher as he was during his prime, he has pitched much better than his 9-8 record indicates.

While Micah Owings and some other Arizona starters have struggled at times, the Arizona staff currently ranks first in the circuit in quality starts (70), WHIP (1.27), second in opponents’ OPS (.706) and fifth in ERA (3.96).

The Diamondbacks’ offense, on the other hand, has really had some difficulties plating runs since the middle of May.

Orlando Hudson, Connor Jackson and Mark Reynolds have put together strong campaigns to provide a few bright spots.

Hudson, one of the leaders in the clubhouse, has posted a line of .305/.367/.450 while playing his usual excellent defense at second base. However, he recently dislocated a bone in his left wrist recently, forcing him to undergo season-ending surgery and perhaps prompt Arizona to seriously go after Dunn.

Jackson has been the most consistent performer, batting .311/.390/.487 while producing the highest OPS on the roster.

Reynolds has provided some pop in the middle of the line up as well—24 home runs and 74 RBIs—but is still only batting .246/.324/.491.

The real story, however, lies in the performance in the Diamondbacks’ talented trio under the age of 25, shortstop Stephen Drew and outfielders Justin Upton and Chris Young. The group has truly struggled at times as pitchers have learned to exploit their weaknesses more effectively.

Drew is hitting .280 and is third on the team with 14 homers, but his on-base skills (.319 OBP) have yet to fully develop to an acceptable level.

Ditto for Young, whose line of .232/.296/.416 leaves a lot to be desired. He is a tremendous athlete with plus power, but is among league leaders in outs made.

Injuries have dragged down Upton, who is batting .242/.353/.433 with 11 home runs in 83 games. He still has the upside of the group and projects as a future MVP candidate, as he is a rare five-tool talent.

The growing pains for this group, however, have played a major factor in the tailspin in Phoenix.

Then there is the situation involving popular left fielder Eric Byrnes, who was rewarded with a hefty contract this offseason but struggled offensively before sustaining a season-ending injury. Byrnes is frequently labeled as “the heart and soul of the team,” but the decision to offer him such a lucrative deal looks like a major mistake. It is certainly easy to Monday morning quarterback this all day, but one-time top prospect Carlos Quentin was a more cost-effective option internally. Instead of giving Quentin a shot, though, the team agreed to give the veteran $30-million over three years. Going by how year one has turned out, it is not too difficult to come up with a lot of better ways to invest $10-million.

With the combination of several disappointing individual performances from the young position players and injuries—all while Quentin has flourished into the front-runner for MVP in the American League for the Chicago White Sox—Arizona quickly floundered its early lead in the division. The major reason has clearly been the offensive unit overall, as the D’Backs rank in the middle of the pack in several of the most important statistical batting categories—including 10th in runs scored and 11th in on-base percentage and OPS.

Luckily, strong starting pitching and the woes of nearly every team in the West have enabled them to stay afloat.

Which is why the addition of Dunn—albeit as a seven-week rental—will help a lot, especially with the loss of Hudson and the failed pursuit to acquire Mark Teixeira in July. As polarizing as a player as he is, he adds some much-needed on-base skills and power to a run-starved lineup. A Three True Outcome Player, he is tied for the majors’ lead with 32 home runs and his .901 OPS is good for 15th in his league. His low batting average, high strikeout totals and poor defense in the outfield turn off many traditionalists. Still, he flat-out produces at the plate, using his excellent on-base skills to keep rallies going and tremendous power to add a presence to any lineup. While he is undervalued by traditionalists and overvalued by some statistical analysts, he will hit his homers and draw his walks, two areas of concern for Arizona to this point.

The addition of Tony Clark will also help. Clark is a great influence on the youngsters, is a solid left-handed bat off the bench and was one of the Diamondbacks’ team leaders when they made the playoffs in 2007.

Still, though, Dunn has a chance to make a real difference. Considering the alternatives, he gives his new team a much better chance of holding off the Dodgers, who beefed up their offense by adding Manny Ramirez at the trade deadline.

The Dodgers are going for it right now, evident by their decision to part with so many prospects in exchange for third baseman Casey Blake and Ramirez. While they are viewed as the favorite by many and have the better run differential, though, do not count out the Diamondbacks. The addition of a bona-fide slugger, as much as he drives some scouts crazy, will certainly help them finish what was started in the season’s first month. If he can really get hot and #### out some big homers, as he did earlier this summer, look out.

Reds’ Side: On the Reds’ side, they acquired minor league pitcher Dallas Buck and two prospects to be named later. Buck, a former collegiate All-American who helped push Oregon State to the College World Series, recently began throwing again earlier this summer after undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2007. The former third-round pick has excellent stuff when healthy, but has a long way to go. He has made some progress since returning, posting a 3.55 ERA and 28-to-11 K/W ratio in 50.2 innings pitched combined between the Midwest and California League. He will report to the Florida State League to pitch for the Sarasota Reds.

The Reds could have waited to cash in on a pair of compensation picks when Dunn bolted for free agency. Instead, they now will get three prospects instead of two. While I do wonder if they could have received better value if a deal was reached before the trade deadline—after all, it is going to be tough to place that 40-homer, 100-walk production—it is still too early to tell how well they did until the other prospects are announced.

Plus, Arizona is only getting seven weeks of Dunn, making this deal seam reasonable for both parties. Cincinnati was not going to playing any meaningful games either way. So, while this ultimately means that Corey Patterson and his rather embarrassing line of .189/.221/.328 will get more playing time in the short term, this is a step in the right direction for the Reds in the long term. They have a strong young core, and parting with Dunn and Ken Griffey Jr. signals a new era at Great American Ballpark. Walt Jocketty also got designated for assignment veteran catcher David Ross, who was—like many other soon-to-be free agents in the organization—dead weight.

To reach Tyler Hissey, send an email to TylerHissey@gmail.com.

Grant Paulsen (right)

Grant Paulsen, who has been an accredited member of the national media since he was a teenager, has already made his mark in the broadcasting industry although he has yet to graduate from college and is not old enough to legally drink in this country. Paulsen, 20, is perhaps the Jay Bruce of sports journalism, having covered the Little League World Series and Super Bowl for ABC Sports on several occasions. He has also appeared on the David Letterman show six times. A student at George Mason University in Virginia, he is currently the host of Minors and Majors, a two-hour weekly show focusing on Major League Baseball and its minor league prospects on XM Radio.

Grant recently offered his opinions about the latest news and notes around the league in an interview with Tyler Hissey for Scout.com.

TH: Grant, thanks for finding the time to answer some questions about all that is going on in the Major League Baseball season. Let’s get to it.

The Los Angeles Angels are one of the best run-prevention clubs in the game, with an excellent defense and pitching staff. The Angels also have a strong bullpen led by K-Rod, who is on pace to set the single-season saves record. The offensive situation, on the other hand, has been a cause for concern, and the addition of switch-hitting slugger Mark Teixeira will undoubtedly help add another impact bat to protect Vladimir Guerrero. Does the trade make Los Angeles the favorite to win the AL?

Grant: Adding Mark Teixeira was monumental for the Angels. They desperately needed a bat - and preferably a big one - and they got it when they traded for him. Their deep pitching staff, ranked eighth in all of baseball, gives them a chance to win each night, and they are a top-10 team defensively as well. The only area in which they needed to upgrade was at the plate, and in getting Teixeira they were able to add power to a lineup that has hit 49 fewer home-runs than teams like the Marlins and Phillies have this season.

Even if Teixeira proves to be only a late-season rental, which I think could very well be the case, I won't disagree for a moment with what the Angels decided to do. He is a career .285 hitter who can hit his club 35-homers a season and play a terrific first base. With a team like Los Angeles for the long-haul I could see Tex becoming an annual MVP candidate in the American League. They gave up Casey Kotchman, who is a nice enough major leaguer, and a decent relief pitching prospect in hard-throwing righty Stephen Marek. But they got a guy back who makes them the number-one contender for the title (if I can use a wrestling term). That's what the Angels are now. They are the top contender in the AL, and I would be surprised if they aren't in the ALCS.

TH: The Braves certainly went for it all last year, giving up a promising package of prospects—including Elvis Andrus, Neftali Feliz, Matt Harrison and Jarrod Saltalamacchia—to make a run. However, they finished further out of the division than they were at the time of the acquisition, even though Teixeira put up some monster numbers down the stretch. In Kotchman and Marek, GM Frank Wren got about as much as he could have at this point, certainly more than the club would have received had it waited for the compensation picks. Still, it seems, they were burned in the long run. Do you agree? Will teams use this as a lesson before making similar deals at the deadline?

Grant: I think that teams might. I've always felt like GMs should ask themselves only one question before giving up multiple prospects who could eventually help their club for just one veteran major leaguer. If he (the guy they are trading for) comes over and plays like an MVP, can we win the World Series? If the answer is yes, then I am okay with those trades. If the answer is no, then I don't like the idea. Especially if a team is just renting a guy like the Braves were with Teixeira last year, and like the Brewers are this year with CC Sabathia. I didn't like the Teixeira deal last year, and I wasn't a huge fan of the Sabathia deal. If he pitches them into the playoffs, though, I will be okay with the fact that they parted with future All-Star Matt LaPorta.

TH: On an off note, what are the odds that some Angles fans make another Teixeira tribute video on YouTube?

Grant: I feel like another video is coming soon. From the same guys who brought us Mark Teixeira I, comes a second and even more epic offering! Haha. Perhaps the release date will be set for some time in late October.

TH: As of this writing, David Price is 9-0 combined between the Single-A Vero Beach and Double-A Montgomery. Do you see Price making an impact this season? If so, do you think he will turn into this year's version of Joba Chamberlain, coming out of the bullpen, or will he crack the Tampa Bay rotation should Edwin Jackson or Andy Sonnanstine falter?

David Price (AP)

Grant: Price is a stud. The guy is going to be 23 later on this month and he could have been getting big league hitters out as of halfway through his final college season at Vanderbilt a year ago. He popped at 99 in his first outing as a pro during spring training this season, and his breaking pitches are already big-league ready. He's going to be a star front-line arm for many years to come, and I could see him and Scott Kazmir being the game's top one-two punch in baseball in a couple years.

With that all said, I think that he will be used in the bullpen down the stretch this season. That will be the best way for Tampa Bay to get his feet wet against major league hitters. He also had a minor arm injury earlier this spring, which could make the Rays want to pitch him out of the pen as a way of keeping his innings count down a little more efficiently, all while still trying to get production out of his electric arm.

If he is used out of the pen, I could see him performing a lot like Joba Chamberlain did last season. His 2007 efforts were something of a once-in-a-decade time promotion, but if anybody could duplicate that type of start to a career, I think Price is that guy. I could see Price repeating that type of dominance down the stretch. He could fortify an already much-improved bullpen and be a big lift for Tampa Bay down the stretch. Unfortunately for the Rays, though, he isn't going to help them hit any better, which is the only phase of the game that they aren't very consistent with.

TH: I recently wrote a contenders piece for the American League. Which four teams from the league do you see making it to the postseason and why?

Mark Teixeira (AP)

Grant: At this moment I have the Angels, Red Sox, and White Sox winning the West, East, and Central, respectively. I rank them in that order because that is the order of my confidence in each of those teams to capture a division crown.

The Angels, with the acquisition of Teixeira and the re-emergence of Ervin Santana as a front-line arm, are my pick to represent the AL in the World Series.

I think Boston is better today than it was a week or two ago as well, though. Jason Bay will give them everything Manny Ramirez did offensively, more defensively, and he'll do it all without creating any problems or causing any headaches for his new coaching staff. I think that Jed Lowrie is an upgrade for them at shortstop as well, and I could see him becoming Boston's Dustin Pedroia of this year in the next couple of months.

The other kind of Sox get terrific pitching and have more power bats than they know what to do with. I just don't know how much I trust some of the unproven arms in that rotation (John Danks and Gavin Floyd among them) down the stretch. Getting Ken Griffey Jr. should provide them with a nice boost, though.

My wild card pick right now is the Rays. They have a deep enough rotation to win any series they play in, they play great defense and they can manufacture enough runs - as the AL leaders in thefts - to mask their anemic team batting average.

TH: Personally, going by their poor run prevention (inexperienced pitching staff and bad infield defense), I do not see the Florida Marlins making the playoffs out of the NL East. They have a negative run differential after all, and, though the Arizona Diamondbacks made it to the playoffs after scoring fewer runs than their opponents last fall, I just do not think it is in the cards for the Fish. Do you agree? If so, who do you think will come out the East?

Grant: I agree with you on the Marlins. The peripherals just don't add up to them being a playoff participant (but don't tell the 2007 Diamondbacks that). The best thing about the Marlins is that they aren't supposed to win right now. They are loaded for the future, thanks largely to the Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis trade this offseason, and they were able to hang on to most of their top prospects at the trade deadline. I'm a Gaby Sanchez guy, but he projects more as a backend-arm than an ace, and he was the only major subtraction from their future core. I think they could keep playing on the plus side of .500, but I don’t' see them doing much more than that the rest of the way. Then again, I didn't see them competing at all this year, so what do I know?

TH: There has certainly been a lot of attention centering around the Milwaukee Brewers’ acquisition of CC Sabathia, though the Brett Favre drama has taken away some of its thunder. Sabathia has energized that clubhouse, adds a legitimate ace alongside Ben Sheets at the top of the staff and is now the best-hitting pitcher in the league with Micah Owings’ demotion to the minors. With that being said, do you think the Brewers will make the postseason for the first time since the Robin Yount era?

Grant: The Brewers are my current pick to win the National League's wild card. Sabathia is one of those guys who can go seven-innings and give his team a chance to win on a bad night. That's the mark of a true ace, and he's proven to be just that over the years. He might be baseball's best pitcher if he ever played an entire season in the NL. The big fella would just be dominant. And Ned Yost will not have to pull him out of games for a pinch hitter, because he's proven that he can wield the wood.

Milwaukee is a better team than St. Louis and Florida, and they are better than any of the clubs in the NL West. With that said, they'll be contending with either Philadelphia or New York (whoever doesn't win the East) for the wild-card spot, at least in my insignificant and probably inaccurate projection. I think they stack up well with either of those two teams. The bottom line is that they had better get to the playoffs. If they don't, then I really don't like the trade at all. If they do I wouldn't be shocked at all if they got to the World Series, considering that they would have Sheets and Sabathia to throw at teams back-to-back. But they have to get there first, and in order to do that they need to start playing better defense (they are 11th in the NL in fielding percentage).

TH: Before we end the interview, give us the names of a few prospects to look for when rosters expand in September.

Grant: Dave Price is the main guy to look out for. He could very well change the American League East landscape, not just this season but over the next several years.

In addition to him, the guy I am most excited about seeing is Andrew McCutchen in Pittsburgh. He's going to get a chance at some point in August, or maybe September, to roam the outfield at PNC Park. He's got more tools than Tim Allen and he's been making his way up through the ranks in a "Jay Bruce" kind of way since the two were drafted real close to each other out of high school back in 2005. I can't wait to see what he does in his first dose of action with the Pirates. He's an electrifying talent who can contribute in a plethora of different ways and baseball fans in the Steel City are in for a treat.

Cameron Maybin is another guy I want to get another look at. I liked what I saw from him in Detroit last season, but I didn't get enough of him. Maybin getting sent to Double-A this year was like dangling candy in front of me and telling me I couldn't have it.

Matt LaPorta and Travis Snider could both also get late-season calls in Cleveland and in Toronto, respectively. I'd be giddy to get a first-glimpse of either of those two slugging outfielders in 2008. Both project as lineup-altering boppers and each should one day find their way onto an All-Star team.

TH: Thanks for taking the time out of your busy schedule, Grant. Keep up the excellent work on XM Radio.

For more info on Grant and his work on XM radio, click here.

Carl Crawford should pick it up.

The New York Yankees landed a catcher, Ivan Rodriguez, at the trade deadline to fill in for the injured Jorge Posada. This gave New York another option with Jose Molina expected to see the majority of innings at the position before the deal. The Yankees also added a solid reliever and right-handed bat, acquiring Damaso Marte and Xavier Nady. Thus, many analysts have labeled the club as “winners” at the trade deadline, giving some deserved credit to longtime general manager Brian Cashman.

The Boston Red Sox lost the production of slugger Manny Ramirez, but got rid of his baggage and added a capable replacement who is better defensively, Jason Bay, who has gotten off to an excellent start with his new team.

However, the other team competing for the American League East title, the Tampa Bay Rays, remained pat at the deadline. Tampa Bay Executive VP of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman refused to give up any “elite” arms to acquire Bay, for whom the Pittsburgh Pirates turned his services into a nice package of four prospects in three-team deal that sent Ramirez to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Friedman and the Rays have been labeled as “losers” accordingly, but are they really? Giving up a potential future top-15 shortstop in the league, Reid Brignac, or Wade Davis or Jeremy Hellickson would be inconsistent with the vision of the Rays’ ownership group for sustaining their current level of success for an extended time period.

It is truly way too early to label a team winners or losers. Just ask Omar Minaya, who was applauded for landing Bartolo Colon back in 2002 when he was the GM of the Montreal Expos. Minaya, however, parted ways with three future stars—Brandon Phillips, Cliff Lee and Grady Sizemore—as the Expos fell apart the rest of the way and failed to reach the playoffs.

A verdict, then, will not be out on this trade deadline season—all of the deals—for a long time. Plus, for a small-market team to maintain its success in the current economic market in the industry, it must look at its young prospects as cost-effective assets, which the Rays have done.

The Rays were losers, writes Jayson Stark. Yahoo! Sports agrees.

Instead, the club may receive a boost from former star Rocco Baldelli, who has made steady progress in his rare health condition. Baldelli finished a rehab assignment with Double-A Montgomery on Thursday night, and could return to the Rays during the current homestand. He hit .297/.409/.568 with three home runs and eight RBIs in 37 at-bats with the Biscuits.

A Baldelli decision may be coming, writes Marc Lancaster. This will give Friedman and his staff an important decision to make about the status of Gabe Gross and Jonny Gomes. Gross adds tremendous value with his defense in right field, leaving the club with a difficult choice here.

The internal candidate who is most likely to make an impact in the AL East race for the Rays, though, is former number one overall pick David Price. Price improved to 10-0 as a professional on Saturday night, striking out 10 in seven innings to lead the Biscuits to a win over the West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx. The talented left-hander, the best pitching prospect in the minors, is now 6-0 with a 2.08 ERA and 48-to-12 K/W ratio in eight Southern League starts. He has a chance to make the jump to the majors without pitching in Triple-A, Friedman says.

With all of the additions made elsewhere in the division, Price truly could be the ultimate upgrade for a stretch run, perhaps more so than Nady or Rodriguez. He is that good, having shown an advanced approach to pitching, mid-90s fastball and excellent command. If there is a pitcher to make a Joba-like impact, it is him.

Jeff Niemann and Justin Ruggiano could also contribute as well.

Niemann, who was linked to Pittsburgh in the Bay talks, is 7-5 with a 3.53 ERA and 88-to-36 K/W ratio at Triple-A Durham. The former first-round pick has seen his star dim as all of the injuries have taken a tool, decreasing his once-plus velocity. He is still on the track to the majors, however. He would have benefited from a trade to Pittsburgh, where he would have jumped into the starting rotation.

Ruggiano has never been a favorite among scouts, but has posted some solid statistics during his minor league career. The 26-year-old outfielder has performed well again at Durham so far, batting .316/.374/.529 with nine homers and 42 RBIs. The status of Baldelli will determine if he ever gets a realistic shot with the parent club, which he did not get during his stint with the Rays earlier this season. He went 4-for-5 with an RBI in the Bulls’ 8-2 win over the Charlotte Knights on Saturday night.

Links:

Evan Longoria continued to build his case for AL Rookie of the Year on Saturday night, tying Gomes’ rookie single-season record with his 21st home run to lead the Rays to a 9-3 victory over the Detroit Tigers. Longoria, a first-round pick back in 2006, finished 3-for-5 with three RBIs to raise his line to .280/.354/.540 and increase his RBI total to 67. He is leading the club in homers, RBIs and OPS (.879).

Tampa Bay cranked out nine runs on 11 hits overall, winning its fourth straight game while continuing to shine in the friendly confines of Tropicana Field.

Carl Crawford, hot of late, continued to perform since moving out of the two spot in the batting order. Crawford, who has a seven-game hitting streak, drove in two and scored twice. The perennial stolen-base threat—whose totals are down because of his poor on-base percentage—swiped his first bag in eight game as well, and is now batting .272/.315/.401. With a .717 OPS, a low number for a player at the left field position, he has to turn it around, and appears to be doing so. With his track record, he could add an impact bat by default, having the chance to help Tampa Bay score more runs if he can get on base more frequently to take advantage of his biggest asset, speed.

Andy Sonnanstine got the run support that has eluded him for most of July to earn the win. Sonnanstine scattered seven hits, allowing two earned runs while striking out six. Although he is now 11-6 and leading the staff in wins, it was a big outing for him, with Price waiting in the wings and his 4.58 ERA leaving a bit to be desired.

Tampa Bay is now three games up on Boston—and 5.5 on New York—in the division, improving its home record to 42-16 and 65-44 overall. They set a record for most home wins (42) in a season.

James Shields has been one of the best pitchers in the majors at home this season, going 7-1 with a 2.16 ERA, .205 opponents’ batting average and 72-to-14 K/W ratio in 12 starts at Tropicana Field. Shields will look to continue that success in the finale of the three-game series with Detroit on Sunday, writes Bill Chastain.

One thing that has gone unnoticed at times is the Rays’ team defense. With B.J. Upton and Ty Wigginton logging innings at second base and Brendan Harris and Josh Wilson and others doing the same at shortstop, the Tampa Bay infield defense was terrible in 2007. The addition of Jason Bartlett at shortstop, transition of Akinori Iwamura to second base and emergence of Longoria has helped change that landscape.

This has had tremendous overall positive effects on Tampa Bay’s young pitchers, and is a major reason why the club is still in first place this late in the game. The club currently ranks first in the league in defensive efficiency—the rate at which balls put into play are converted into outs. As much as the bullpen has improved as well, it is hard to put into words the strides that this team has made in the run prevention equation.

Friedman deserves plenty of credit for pulling the trigger on the Delmon Young deal, with improving the team defense on his mind.

Manny Who?

The Red Sox also won on Friday night, pounding out 12 runs to crush the Oakland Athletics. Bay—who scored the winning run in an extra-innings affair during his Fenway debut on Friday—continued to produce, hitting a home run in the win while Jon Lester improved to 10-3.

Lester has truly turned into an excellent front-end starter in this league, having made it through seven innings in eight of his past nine starts. The 24-year-old left-hander, who threw a no-hitter against the Kansas City Royals earlier this season, has posted a 3.14 ERA and 101-to-46 K/W ratio to help anchor the Boston pitching staff.

The Red Sox are moving on without Manny, writes Katie Zezima.

Kevin Youkilis also got in on the action, belting two homers and increasing his hit streak to nine games. He has had a great year—on the defensive side as well—and is currently batting .313/.380/.557 with 20 long balls and 74 RBIs. He is an integral part of the Boston offensive attack.

Yankees Also Win

New York also got in the win column, as the dream season continued for Mike Mussina, who surrendered only two runs on two hits in seven solid innings to help the Yankees shut down the hot-as-fire Los Angeles Angels and new acquisition Mark Teixeira.

Honestly, where would the Yankees be without Mussina? He has been a pleasant surprise for them, winning 14 games while posting an impressive 3.44 ERA and stellar 90-to-19 K/W. He does not leave a lot of room for error with his declining stuff, but has worked the corners magically with his excellent control and command

After getting roughed up in his last outing, a 13-4 loss to the Baltimore Orioles, many thought that Mussina was finally regressing back to the mean. Yet he bounced back nicely, out dueling Jered Weaver while holding the Angels scoreless after giving up two runs in the first inning.

Mussina continues to defy the passage of time, writes Brian Heyman.

Jose Molina is going to be his personal catcher, writes Anthony Rieber.

Bobby Abreu, Wilson Betemit, Jose Molina (his first of the year) and Alex Rodriguez all homered for the Yankees, who were without second baseman Robinson Cano.

Brian Bruney was called back up to the club, writes Joshua Robinson.

New York, however, will not get a boost in September from ace Chien-Ming Wang, who will miss the remainder of the regular season but could return for the playoffs.

Phil Hughes is also trying to make his way back from a broken rib, and could have an impact. Hughes is currently on a rehab assignment along with Carl Pavano, pitching for the Charleston RiverDogs in the South Atlantic League. In his second outing with Charleston on Saturday night, he earned the win in relief of Pavano, who started the game and allowed an earned run in three innings. Hughes was impressive, striking out five in 3.2 innings pitched.

Waiver Talk:

Although the trade deadline has passed, players can still move teams in the August waiver trading period. Paul DePodesta, the former Los Angeles Dodgers GM and Billy Beane protégé, provides an excellent post on this process in his blog. DePodesta, a major figure in the book Moneyball, currently works in the front office for the San Diego Padres.

Ziegler Story:

The story of Brad Ziegler is about as interesting as it gets. Click here for an excellent recap of his journey, courtesy of blogger extraordinaire Joe Posnanski of the Kansas City Star.

On Monday at 2:00, Tyler Hissey will host a live chat, similar to the trade deadline live blog on Thursday. Feel free to stop by and ask a question. Click here to access the chat.

To contact Tyler Hissey, send an email to TylerHissey@gmail.com.

The Boston Red Sox simply had to cut their ties with controversial slugger Manny Ramirez, who has become a major distraction for his team in recent weeks. While Ramirez has helped Boston to two World Series titles in four years and is among the most productive pure hitters in the game, Theo Epstein did not want to take the risk of having him dog it and take a mental vacation the rest of the way. With all of the negative talk back and forth and with the “Manny-Being-Manny” antics reaching a whole new level, it was clear that Epstein had to get rid of him somehow.

After the Florida Marlins got greedy and killed the initial possibility for it to happen, the Red Sox spent the afternoon trying to find another team to send him to while keeping the Pittsburgh Pirates in the loop. They were not going to get rid of such a key hitter without adding another impact bat, with their eye on Pirates outfielder Jason Bay.

Epstein found his match in the Los Angeles Dodgers, who are looking to win the lowly National League West. With Los Angeles on board, the three teams pulled off a last-second shocker, combining to form the third blockbuster trade in July.

Ramirez was sent to Los Angeles, which dealt prospects Andy LaRoche and Bryan Morris to Pittsburgh.

The Pirates then shipped Bay to Boston, who will cover the remaining money left on Ramirez’s contract and also had to offer up Craig Hansen and Brandon Moss to the Bucs.

Interestingly enough, the deal seems to have worked for all parties involved, to a certain extent.

Pittsburgh, though, appears to be the short-term winner. They have finally put the necessary resources into player development, have a potential future All-Star outfielder, Andrew McCutchen, waiting in the wings in Triple-A, several other exciting young prospects and will add another impact bat if they can sign number two overall pick Pedro Alvarez before the August 15 deadline. Alvarez and his agent, Scott Boras, are reportedly not close to an agreement with the organization, however. They received a much better package than they were offered by the Tampa Bay Rays, who would not meet the Pirates' asking price for an “elite” pitching prospect.

Hansen has not lived up to the hype that surrounded him when he was taken in the first round after a standout career at St. John’s three years ago. While he has excellent stuff, he has major command issues and has yet to turn into an effective reliever at the major league level. He has struggled again in Boston this year, posting a 5.58 ERA and 25-to-23 K/W ratio in 30.2 innings pitched after starting the season in the minors. Still, at 24, Hansen is a nice arm to add and will benefit from playing in a smaller market.

LaRoche is an excellent third base prospect who was blocked by numerous obstacles in Los Angeles. Sure, he has not posted great numbers in his brief time at the highest level, hitting .217/.348/.316 with only three homers in 152 career at-bats. But that is too small of a sample size to justify overlooking LaRoche, who posted a .987 OPS with 18 homers before getting called up in 2007. For some reason, Ned Colletti, who has made some horrendous personnel decisions (Juan Pierre, anyone?) in the recent past, did not see him as a major player in the Dodgers’ future, and short-term, success.

One of the top infield prospects for some time, LaRoche should flourish by moving to another organization where he is fully appreciated. All he really needs is a chance, which he will finally get in Pittsburgh. Plus, he gets reunited with his brother, Adam, who is the Pirates' starting first baseman.

Morris, the Dodgers’ first-round pick back in 2006, is a solid addition and a nice long-term pitching prospect as well. He missed a year of development in ’07, undergoing Tommy John surgery after injuring his elbow during his short-season debut two years ago. The 21-year-old right-hander has been effective in a nice bounce back stint in the Midwest League so far, posting a 3.20 ERA and 72-to-31 K/W ratio in 17 starts for the Great Lakes Loons.

Moss has not received a great look in the majors with Boston's deep outfield, but has some solid tools and the ability to turn into an excellent fourth outfielder. Still only 24 himself, he has put together a nice campaign, batting .282/.346/.528 with eight home runs and 30 RBIs in 163 at-bats at Triple-A Pawtucket. He has also spent some time in the show, where he posted a .799 OPS in 78 at-bats. While he will never hit for a ton of power, he is another solid organizational player who is ready to contribute in the majors.

The Pirates not only received “quantity,” they received some “quality” as well, it seems, with a high-ceiling arm, a potential impact corner infielder and a few solid pieces to the puzzle.

On the Dodgers’ end, they had no need for LaRoche anymore after trading for Casey Blake. As good as he has the chance to become, it was simply not going to happen for him in Dodger blue. The club even put up with Blake DeWitt and his sub-.700 OPS for three months before giving him a shot. With Morris, his value was down because of the surgery.

For Ramirez, who will be motivated to produce now that the options on his contract are out of the equation, this was a price that they were willing to pay. Going for it right now, the controversial slugger will help L.A. in its attempt to unseat the Arizona Diamondbacks in the West, taking away at-bats from Andruw Jones and Pierre. This will improve the Dodgers’ offensive unit by default.

Boston needed to get rid of the Manny show, though. Things had a chance to go from bad to worse. While they had to pay a lot to essentially give him away, Bay will not be as much of downgrade offensively as some fans might think, anyway. In fact, Bay currently has an OPS in the same range as Ramirez and is a much better defender. Ramirez has the track record—after all, how many hitters have a career .999 OPS?— and can crush the ball when he is focused, but the gap between production between the two is only minimal at this point of his career, especially considering the defensive aspect.

Bay, 29, is also under control for next year, at a reasonable price. This will free up Epstein to improve his roster in other ways while receiving, similar, cost-effective production. The Canadian, a former Rookie of the Year, has been one of the most productive performers in the NL for the past five years—excluding his injury-plagued ’07 campaign in which he posted a .745 OPS. He is batting .282/.375/.519—right around his career line—with 22 home runs and 64 RBIs already, and will improve by moving into a nice place to hit for right-handed hitters, Fenway Park. Considering all of the factors, including the off-the-field issues, Boston did not lose as much as advertised.

Ramirez had to be moved, was replaced by a solid-hitting outfielder and his sideshow is now Joe Torre’s problem. Boston will certainly miss his production, but his time in the city was nearing its end, regardless, and Hansen and Moss were never going to play a major role for the club. And if the Red Sox—who did not miss a beat in the absence of David Ortiz, now back in the lineup—fail to make the playoffs with the surging New York Yankees and Rays each vying for spots, it will most likely be because of other issues, not the loss of Ramirez. Plus, they will improve in 2009, as they were not going to bring back the Future Hall of Famer, who would have had to be replaced with an expensive free agent addition. So the remaining money on his contract, which Boston will pick up, is not that big of a deal, either, given the savings that they will gain with Bay filling the need on the cheap.

It was certainly an interesting day.

To reach Tyler Hissey, send an email to TylerHissey@gmail.com.

(Associated Press)

According to the Palm Beach Post, a tentative agreement has been reached that will end the Manny Ramirez era in Boston.

However, other sources such as Peter Gammons, have said that the deal, which also includes the Pittsburgh Pirates, could collapse at any second.

If the deal does, in fact, go through, the Florida Marlins will add a proven run producer in Ramirez. He will definitely help bolster their powerful offensive attack, which is already leading the majors in home runs but ranks 25th out of 30 teams in on-base percentage. The disgruntled slugger, whose “Manny Being Manny” antics are wearing thin in the Boston organization, remains among the most productive hitters in the majors at 36 years old.

Ramirez is currently batting .299/.398/.529 with 20 home runs and 68 RBIs, but has dogged it when running out ground balls twice in the past week. Although he makes about as much money as the entire Florida 25-man roster combined, at $20 million, the Red Sox will most likely cover the remaining $6 million left on the deal. They will also receive an unnamed prospect.

Ramirez can become a free agent after the season, as it is unlikely that his option will be picked up. Thus, if Florida does add him to its lineup, they are taking on a risk for a brief rental with their eyes on playing baseball in October.

The Marlins are currently 51-58, 1.5 games back in the weak National League East, but has a negative run differential, a shaky defense and an inexperienced pitching staff. Parting ways with a few talented, young players may come back to bite them if they do not make the playoffs.

However, the addition of such a popular player-who loves the Miami area-may help out at the ticket window and will undoubtedly improve their chances of reaching the playoffs for the first time since the franchise's second World Series title back in 2003. While the club is a few years away from really having a strong team as their top pitching prospects develop, it clearly want to win right now. Also, Ramirez will bring in two compensation picks once he bolts for free agency.

If the report is true, the Marlins will part ways with Jeremy Hermida and Ryan Tucker, each of whom will wind up in Pittsburgh.

The Pirates will also receive a prospect from Boston, who will get Jason Bay and John Grabow in return.

Hermida, the Marlins’ right fielder, is batting .257/.328/.444 with 15 home runs and 47 RBIs. He provided one of the only bright spots for the Marlins in 2007, hitting .296/.369/.501 with 18 homers and an .870 OPS in a career-high 429 at-bats during a breakout campaign to emerge as a mainstay in the middle of the lineup. The 24-year-old left-handed hitter, who also possesses a strong arm in right field, has a .798 career OPS.

Tucker, a first-round pick back in 2005, made his major league debut for the Marlins at the end of June. He struggled with the jump to the highest level, though, going 2-3 with a 8.38 ERA and 26-to-22 K/W ratio in 10 appearances, including six relatively ineffective starts, before being shipped back down to Double-A on July 24. He has excellent stuff and profiles as a nice long-term prospect, but needs to straighten out his command and control problems.

These factors were an issue for Tucker during his brief stint in the majors, where he struggled to work ahead and throw strikes while surrendering eight home runs in 34.1 innings pitched. The 21-year-old, who has a mid-90s fastball and as much pure arm strength as any pitcher in the Marlins' system, may turn into a reliever before it is all said and done. He began the season in the Southern League, where he went 4-2 with a 1.38 ERA and 62-to-28 K/W ratio in 72.0 innings pitched for the Carolina Mudcats.

Hermida and Tucker are a decent package for Pittsburgh, which did not receive a strong enough offer from the Tampa Bay Rays. Tampa Bay was not willing to part with a high-level prospect, such as Wade Davis or Jeremy Hellickson, in exchange for Bay. Still, according to Gammons, they are still not satisfied with the proposal on their end, potentially stopping this deal from going down.

The Red Sox are going to have a tough time replacing Ramirez’s bat, but will attempt to fill the hole with Bay, who is batting .282/.375/.519 with 22 homers and 64 RBIs. The All-Star left fielder, who will become a free agent in 2009, is enjoying a nice comeback from an injury-plagued '07 season in which he posted a .745 OPS. He is a gamer with an excellent attitude as well, traits which fit in with the Boston mindset and were lost on Ramirez, who also drew the ire of management when he shoved the team traveling secretary. Bay certainly does not have the track record of the Future Hall of Famer, but has actually posted the higher OPS (.929) of the pair to this point.

Grabow is an excellent left-handed reliever when he works ahead of hitters and his command is on. He has been effective out of the Pirates’ bullpen again so far, posting a 3.19 ERA and 1.30 WHIP in 53.2 innings pitched. He will provide a nice upgrade in the pen for Boston, which has seen its relievers struggle in the link to closer Jonathan Papelbon.

The trade is being held up over a prospect on the Pirates’ side, but is likely to happen. It will certainly have an impact on the American League and National League East races, though, if the commissioner signs off on the deal and Ramirez waives his no trade clause. Each of these