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…But a lot more happened today than I thought possible. Manny to the Dodgers, Bay to the Red Sox, Griffey to the Whites Sox. I really didn’t see any of this happening. I heard the reports about Manny to the Marlins with Jason Bay and the Pirates involved, but I certainly didn’t think it was going to happen. I really thought that the Sox would suck it up for this year and let him walk in the offseason. And I definitely didn’t see Griffey getting traded at all. I didn’t think anyone would take him. There were rumors all year, but I just didn;t see it happening.

The Manny trade is obviously about the Red Sox being tired of Manny. I’m not entirely sure I agree with what they did. They got Jason Bay in return who is a good player, but he sure as hell isn’t Manny. So they took a small step backwards in that department offensively. They also had to give up Craig Hansen and Brandon Moss who aren’t the best players in their system, but they are probably two of the most major-league ready. So that depletes their depth if they have any injuries down the stretch. So for Manny Ramirez, a surefire Hall of Famer and still one of the most dangerous hitters in the game, and two young prospects with Major League experience who are probably only going to get better, they got Jason Bay, who is a solid MLB player, but certainly doesn’t offer near the game changing ability that Manny does.

Of course, Jason Bay is not the reason they traded Manny. They traded Manny because they were tired of his act. We’ve heard all of the nonsense that has gone on with Manny this season and in years past. And it has been a laundry list of nonsense. His quotes yesterday really had to be the thing that sent the Red Sox over the edge and they were certainly ridiculous. But, to trade Manny for what amounts to pennies on a dollar (when you factor in Hansen and Moss) because of his antics seems like a panic move. I’m sure the Sox have more information than we do, but they must really have felt that Manny was tearing the clubhouse apart to pull the trigger on this trade. Terry Francona seems to be the perfect manager at keeping this like this under control so he must have believed very strongly that this was the right move. I can’t see a scenario where Francona didn’t play a role in this trade. This is a big loss offensively for the Red Sox so they had to feel very strongly about Manny’s affect on the team. The front office had better not have made this move lightly because of the bat they just gave up. I, for one, think this is going to come back to bite them. It is damn near impossible to replace a guy like Manny.

Manny going to the Dodgers, on the other hand, really adds spice to a division race that was really in need of some spice. This NL West race is maybe one of the most boring races in recent history (save for the past few NL West division races). There is some serious talent out there, but there isn’t one good team. I really don’t understand it. The Diamondbacks have one of the best rotations in baseball and some of the best young talent in the game (obviously they lose a lot with Eric Byrnes and Justin Upton hurt). The Dodgers are loaded with young talent and also have a great pitching staff (not to mention Joe Torre). The Rockies are essentially the same team that won the wild card last year on the strength of 22 straight wins. The Padres are a year older and their demise was a little easier to see and the Giants are just plain awful. It’s a wonder how the Giants have won any games at all this season when Lincecum wasn’t pitching. That still makes this a division with a lot of talent and three teams that ought to be pretty good. But all of them are having a hard time staying above .500. It just makes for a lousy race.

This is where Manny comes in. He really shifts power in the division from Arizona (which, let’s be honest, didn’t have all that much to begin with) to LA just in time for a crucial 4 game set in LA between the Dodgers and the D-Backs (or at least for game 2). This series won’t decide the division all by itsel, but it does give the Dodgers the opportunity to assert themselves in the division and establish themselves as the team to beat. Manny is a definitely a player capable of giving the Dodgers the edge that they need to seize the division. I love this trade for the Dodgers (even if it does create a logjam in the outfield) because it is a team-booster and it shows some balls. It really announces the Dodgers presence with authority. Plus, I’ll get to see Manny in person when I see the Dodgers host the Phillies in two weeks.  The Dodgers are now the clear favorite in the NL West.

The other two future Hall of Famers moved in the past few days also moved to teams in the thick of division races, but probably won’t have quite as big an impact as Manny. Griffey to the White Sox is one that I’m not sure I understand. They have a lefty power bat (Jim Thome), they have all types of other power (Paul Konerko, Jermaine Dye, Carlos Quentin, Nick Swisher) and they have a fairly full outfield (with Thome occupying the DH spot…and producing more than Griffey). I’m just not sure I see the space for Griffey on that team. But I do like that they are going for it. They are sticking their neck out there and doing what they can to win. Again, it shows some balls…even if it didn’t make the most sense.

I absolutely LOVE the Pudge Rodriguez trade to the Yankees. All they gave up was that B-U-M, BUM Kyle Farnworth and they completely solidified the catching position for the rest of the year. The Yankees really got themselves back into the thick of the AL East race with Jose Molina behind the plate (who really has played well for them) and Pudge is the type of player who can put them over the top, especially with one of the all time impact players departing the division at the same time. I mean, I really don’t care much for the Yankees, but this trade is an exciting trade. It is great for the game of baseball.

Overall, you have to love the trades that teams have made this season. There were so many past and present All-Stars and even a few future Hall of Famers moved in the month of July. They really add to the drama and excitement during the second half of the season. This is shaping up to be one of the more memorable seasons in recent history. Let’s hope the excitement continues to build throughout the months of August and September. It looks pretty goos so far.

Over the last month or so the NL East has gotten even tighter than it was over the first few months of the season and with the way the top three teams have been playing, it only figures to stay a tight race. Each of the three top teams are playing well enough to hang in the race (even though the Phillies have struggled this month) and none of the three are playing well enough to run away with it just yet. Let’s break it down.

First, let’s get the Braves and the Nationals out of the way. The Braves unofficially were going nowhere fast this season after having been riddled with injuries and they officially bowed out of the race today with the trade of Mark Teixeira to the Angels. Casey Kotchman is a good player, but not even close to the level of Teixeira and it is fairly obvious that the Braves were getting something for Teixeira (who is a free agent after the season) while they still could. This team is going to be good (and soon) with players like Kotchman, Yunel Escobar, Jair Jurrjens, Jorge Campillo, Brian McCann and Jeff Francoeur. But they are going to have to continue to get younger around the diamond as Smoltz, Glavine and Chipper don’t have all that many years left and Tim Hudson and Mike Hampton haven’t been able to stay healthy for full seasons Putting Hudson in the same sentence as Hampton in regards to their injury histories is a little unfair, but Hudson may even need Tommy John surgery after his latest setback. But the Braves do have a good foundation and won’t be an easy victory from here on out despite the fact that they are finished this year.

The Nationals are in shambles. They have had an even worse season than they anticipated and they have serious question marks all over the field. Ryan Zimmerman is clearly their anchor and they are hoping for good things from Lastings Milledge and Elijah Dukes (when he returns from the DL), but there really isn’t all that much else to talk about on this roster. They really need to build up their farm system and hope that some of their young pitching develops nicely. Otherwise, they will remain in the basement of the NL East.

Now for the big guns: the Marlins, Phillies and Mets. Each have their flaws. The Marlins are young and inexperienced and have a negative run differential. The Phillies have less than perfect starting pitching and an inconsistent offense. The Mets have an aging lineup and questions in their rotation and bullpen (although their rotation is the best of the group). This race is going to come down to who can manage their flaws the best.

Everyone (including me) keeps expecting the Marlins to fold because they are so young and they win ugly, but they haven’t yet so after a while they stop being a fluke and we have to accept the fact that they aren’t going anywhere. They have the kind of team makeup that will allow them to hang with the Phillies and the Mets and they have one of the most dangerous middle infields in the game in Dan Uggla and Hanley Ramirez. They have a winning record (5-4) against the Phillies and are 3-4 against the Mets. They do have the most games remaining against the other two, 20 (including a three game series to end the season at Shea), and most games against teams with winning records, 33. They are going to be a good team in years to come, but their schedule doesn’t favor them and I just don’t think they have the horses this year.

The Phillies have the fewest games against the other two contenders, 14, but do still have 25 games against teams with winning records. This team has been maddeningly inconsistent over the past few months pulling out a gutsy win one night (like the comeback against the Mets last week) and then not get any hits the next three. For as much billing as the offense has gotten, they have remained quite inconsistent (with Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins not themselves) and the rotation could be best described as much maligned. Through it all, however, they have remained at or near the top of the division and seem as though they have a run in them. Whether they go on one or not is yet to be seen, but they are certainly capable. In order for them to win the division this year though the offense certainly has to carry them and they need to get better performances from Brett Myers, who pitched great tonight, and Joe Blanton. Jimmy Rollins needs to start being Jimmy Rollins (and stop this crap where he causes distractions) and Chase Utley needs to get back to being the MVP candidate he began the season as (although word on Philadelphia talk radio - Eskin - is that he’s got a hip injury that is going to bother him the rest of the season). They certainly have the talent, but need to put it together.

July has certainly been the month for New York baseball. The Mets have made a big run to get back into the NL East race, ditto the Yankees for the AL East race and the All-Star game and Home Run Derby were truly the spectacles that everyone hoped. I’m not sure what has gotten into the Mets. This is the same team that struggled to hover around the .500 mark all season until right before the All-Star break and essentially the same team that collapsed at the end of last year. Everyone points to the change in manager, and that has certainly seemed to give them some new energy. We can’t forget though that this is still the same team that has struggled mightily at times this season. They certainly have a lot of talent with Wright, Reyes, Santana, Beltran and certainly one of the hottest hitters on the planet in Carlos Delgado. But they still have question marks at the corner outfield positions, in the bullpen and some rising concern in the rotation with Pedro still in the Dominican Republic and John Maine having to leave the game last night. Oliver Perez is extremely talented, but has never remained overly consistent and Mike Pelfrey has pitched well, but is just as young and inexperienced as most of the Marlins pitching staff. It is clearly the best staff of the three, but still has some question marks.

Basically, it is going to boil down to who can hang on and fight for the most games. All three teams have shown that they can fight for wins and they are going to have to continue to do so. All three teams have major question marks all over the field, but all three have talent as well. I do think that the Phillies have the most talent across the board, but do they have the stomach for it? The Mets have already made a great run, do they have enough left to put the other guys away? The Marlins have shown their mettle in close games, but can they continue the magic? This is certainly going to be a fun race down the stretch especially with plenty of divisional games left. My pick is for the Phillies talent to prevail over the Mets pitching and the Marlins exuberance, but that’s why they play the games.

Well it’s nearing the end of July and NFL training camp talk is in full swing. Camp Confidential, John Clayton and Chris Mortensen are daily regulars on SportsCenter and there is way more talk about Brett Favre than there is about the looming MLB trade deadline.

But, there is a lot of baseball to be played and every division race has some serious heat to it and there has been hardly a mention of the wild card races because each division race is so tight. There has already been a bevy trade action with contenders trying to bolster their teams. It has been an exciting summer for baseball (exactly what baseball needed by the way) and it only looks to continue.

Over the next week, I am going to spend a post on each of the division races, what is ahead for the teams contending in each and my prediction for each race. Obviously, I’ll start with the NL East tomorrow, which is becoming a serious race and is really making me nervous. Go Phillies.