The Marlins are in town to face the Red Sox, and you know what that means:
It’s a bittersweet sight to see the Florida Marlins arrive in Boston. On one hand, seeing those turquoise and black uniforms trotting out onto the Fenway grass is a reminder of the talent the Marlins’ organization has fed into Boston in the past -- the Red Sox’ staff ace and their third baseman are living proof of that. On the other hand, there’s the tantalizing sight of one of baseball’s brightest young stars returning to Fenway, a Red Sox prospect that was. That, of course, would be Hanley Ramirez.
To this day, the debate rages on -- what would you have done? With the future of two franchises in your hands, with the chance to drastically alter the careers of two of the game’s superstars, present and future, would you pull the trigger? It’s not an easy call.
How is this not an easy call, even in hindsight? As the article itself notes, if the Sox didn’t trade Ramirez, they wouldn’t have had Josh Beckett or Mike Lowell, and without Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell, it’s almost a certainty that they would not have won the 2007 World Series. I know Boston has recently become the city of champions and all of that, but I’m guessing that about 95% of the fan base would prefer a title in the bag to even an All-Star shortstop. The other 5% are either crazy or have an unhealthy fetish for potential and shiny numbers.
To the extent there remains any “debate” about the Hanley Ramirez deal, it’s borne of either (a) a latent desire by Sox fans for their team to possess every player worth a damn; and (b) the need for the media to fill the void the morning after almost every team had the day off.