UPDATE: I moved this from the Diaries. Enjoy... (Rev out)

With all the trade talk and speculation out there the one option that makes the most sense is trading for Manny. The Angels and Red Sox are aligned well in this regard.

We need an impact bat. They need relief pitching and a shortstop now that Gonzalez signed elsewhere. Alex Cora will not cut it, and Theo knows this.

My guess is Manny could be had for O.C. and Shields straight up. If not, maybe Mathis could be included (Varitek ain't getting any younger). I see Mathis as expendable with Napoli and Molina in the fold and Conger 3-4 years away. While Santana is being linked to Boston for Manny, Shields makes more sense with the Speier signing and the fact that Boston already has 5 good/great SPs in  Beckett/Schilling/Papelbon/Wakefield and (soon to be) Matsuzaka. Having Shields in the postseason increases Boston's chances of winning more than having Santana.

Figgins can take over at short or platoon with Aybar for a year or two until Wood is ready.

The net increase in payroll is only about $8 million leaving plenty of room to maneuver at the trade deadline as well as next winter when Bart's contract expires.

In a perfect world, Vernon Wells (or Jones) would slot nicely in CF, but when factoring in the net loss to the team in terms of ML talent (Santana) and future talent (Adenhart/Aybar), the price would be steep. The contract extension that would be borne would be at least 5-6 years and $16 million or more given the current market.

While Manny creates a log-jam of LFs, his presence in the cleanup spot would equate to ZERO intentional walks of Vlad in key situations. That's easily 10 more ribbies for Guerrero, possibly double that.

With Manny in the fold, Sosh could experiment with Rivera in CF with Figgins in Center on Weaver's day to start given the high ratio of fly balls.

Manny would probably need at least 1 option year guaranteed which would equate to 3 years at roughly $19 million per year. His contract expiration would coincide with Vlad's assuming his option year is picked up leaving $34 million in salary room in Winter 2009. Just in time for locking up the Weavers and Kendricks (and hopefully Santanas) long term.