Manny and his money

The rumors all over the radio are that the Phillies are trying to ship outfielder Bobby Abreu to the Red Sox for superstar Manny Ramirez. Both players are in their early 30s, but the trade would mark the end of the Abreu wait. Waiting for him to explode, waiting for him to peak.

The fact that he is now being shopped means that his ceiling has been reached. Don't get me wrong, Ramirez's best days are in the rear view mirror, but he's still a mega star, and possibly one of the 10 best talents in the game today.

If the Phillies have a shot at landing a guy like this to make up for the Jim Thome (at least the 2004 Thome) absence in the line-up, they need to take it. The fans in this town are title starved, and can be very fickle if they don't see a team producing. Sure newly acquired centerfielder Aaron Rowand is a good player, be he strikes fear in the hearts of no one. Right now, the Phillies don't possess even one fear striking batter. The line-up can still do some damage, but to break a pitcher's confidence at the site of the batter is a great advantage.

This trade is great for Philadelphia. So if there is a trigger to be pulled, I hope Gillick yanks hard.