The Red Sox traded Manny to the Dodgers as part of a three-team deal on July 31, 2008, and since that day, the Red Sox have become a completely different team — especially considering that not a single player involved in the Manny trade is part of the Red Sox organization.
So where are they all now?
Jason Bay, left fielder, New York Mets
Manny's replacement in left field did extremely well during his time in Boston. He earned a Silver Slugger Award in 2009 and a hearty raise for himself. That raise was not given to him by the Red Sox, though. He signed a four-year, $66 million with the Mets after months of a will-they-or-won't-they dance with the Red Sox. Boston went another direction in the outfield, and Bay landed in Queens, where he is hitting .283 with four home runs and 27 RBIs.
Andy LaRoche, third baseman, Pittsburgh Pirates
LaRoche was sent from L.A. to Pittsburgh as part of the Manny trade and is currently second on the third-base depth chart for the Pirates. He is hitting .235 with three home runs and 12 RBIs and is not helping raise their 29th-ranked team batting average.
Josh Wilson, shortstop, Seattle Mariners
Josh Wilson played for a few teams before the Pirates sent him to the Red Sox to complete the Manny deal. He was promptly assigned to Triple-A Pawtucket where he made little impact. After the 2008 season, he bounced around between the Diamondbacks and Padres. His most notable game in San Diego was when he came in to pitch for the Padres in an 18-inning affair against the D-Backs. He surrendered a game-winning home run to Mark Reynolds to take the loss. Wilson currently serves as the starting shortstop for the Seattle Mariners and is batting .277 with one home run and 13 RBIs.
Bryan Morris, right-handed starter, Double-A Altoona (Pirates)
The 2006 first-round draft pick of the Dodgers (26th overall) was one of their more prized pitching prospects, when he was shipped to Pittsburgh as part of the three-way Manny deal. Morris is still working his way up to the majors for the Pirates and continues to post first-round-caliber numbers. Morris, 23, currently is pitching for Double-A Altoona and ranks second in ERA among Pittsburgh's minor league pitchers with a 2.11 ERA.
Brandon Moss, outfielder, Triple-A Indianapolis (Pirates)
Moss was hitting .282 with eight home runs and 30 RBIs in 43 games for Triple-A Pawtucket when he was traded to the Pirates in the Manny deal. Being dealt to Pittsburgh turned things around for Moss, who was the Bucs’ Opening Day right fielder in 2009. But eventually, he surrendered playing time to make way for better Pittsburgh prospects. Moss had a poor 2010 spring training and was demoted back to Triple-A, where he is currently hitting .227 with six home runs for Indianapolis.
Craig Hansen, right-handed reliever, Triple-A Indianapolis (Pirates)
Hansen was a lights-out closer during his stint at St. John's University, and the Red Sox drafted him in the first round (26th overall) in 2005. He quickly rose in the Red Sox’ system and appeared in 74 games before being traded. After the trade, he appeared in 21 games for the Pirates, but pitched only 6 1/3 innings for the Bucs in 2009 and was demoted to Triple-A Indianapolis. He is currently on the DL in Indy and is not on the Pirates' 40-man roster.
