Would the Red Sox have won the WS with a behaving Manny?

[JoeSixPat]

Don't get me wrong - I'm not second guessing the Manny trade. I just prefer that it hadn't been necessary.

If Ramirez had honored his contract and not forced a trade with his behavior and fake injuries, becoming a lockerroom distraction at best and a cancer at worst, I think we'd have had a bit more firepower against the Rays.

I think its a given they'd have been in the WS had Manny been playing to his abilities. Whether they'd have won in the WS, given injuries to the pitching staff and others, I'm not so sure, but I think they'd have a decent shot at winning the whole thing.

And of course, if we didn't have to trade Manny we'd still have some young pitching that we could have used as trade bait this offseason too, or kept them if we were so inclined.

 

[WhiskeyBreath]

I would have loved to see Manny not be a douche and shoot his way out of town but the guy is an a-hole.

I have some doubts that they would have won the WS. Beckett was in very bad shape and Papelbon was pretty banged up as well.

Even though Bay was great they may have won the division with Manny and had home field.

 

[captain insano]

jason bay replaced manny and had excellent playoff numbers. i say no the sox still would have lost.

 

[JoeSixPat]

Given injuries to pitchers and the lack of hitting of some of their other big bats, I think they'd still have lost to the Phillies

But I think Manny's monster last weeks of the season, played here, would have been good for 1 - 2 games and homefield advantage over the Rays - and that, plus his playoff bat, might have been good for 1 or two runs, and a world series berth

 

[captain insano]

Given injuries to pitchers and the lack of hitting of some of their other big bats, I think they'd still have lost to the Phillies

But I think Manny's monster last weeks of the season, played here, would have been good for 1 - 2 games and homefield advantage over the Rays - and that, plus his playoff bat, might have been good for 1 or two runs, and a world series berth

there wasn't any home field advantage. the sox won two of four at the trop and the rays won two of three at fenway. there is no such thing as home field advantage in baseball and there is no difference between winning the division and winning the wild card.

 

[tedylb]

It's fun to wecond-guess. but we'll never know. Manny had to go, and we got a solid replacement. So it was a win-win for the Sox.

 

[WhiskeyBreath]

there is no such thing as home field advantage in baseball and there is no difference between winning the division and winning the wild card.

You can't be serious.

 

[captain insano]

You can't be serious.

im very serious. the only thing that matters in baseball is whos pitching.

 

[Omega Supreme]

This discussion is kinda ridiculous. The reason the Sox lost to the Rays had much more to do with missing Lowell and having an injured Beckett than whether or not we had Manny. Hopefully next year the team won't be quite so devastated with injuries come playoff time.

 

[VJCPatriot]

They probably woulda beat the Rays. But it just seems like Phillies' year, so it might not have been enough.

 

[Wildo7]

David Ortiz says yes. But they probably would have won if Ortiz hadn't stunk up the joint in the playoffs.

 

[IcyPatriot]

The Red Sox would have made it to the World Series with a resonably healthy Mike Lowell ... manny would have made zero difference.

 

[AStack75]

It's a moot point because we weren't going to get a behaving Manny. Jason Bay filled in for Manny about as well as we could have hoped.