A win/win deal

When a trade goes down, it's rare that both sides come away happy.

I'm reminded of the time I traded my Dennis Rodman rookie card for a Kordell Stewart card. It was pure genius at the time; an intersport trade for the ages. Then Kordell became a quarterback.

I'm also reminded of the time I paid a friend in my fantasy baseball league $5 under the table to trade me Pedro Martinez for the stretch run. He went on the DL the next week. I didn't make the playoffs.

I'd never be able to hack it as a GM.

This past week a trade transpired in Major League Baseball that, at least for the meantime, has all sides giggling with delight.

The Red Sox, Dodgers and Pirates orchestrated a three-team trade that sent Manny Ramirez to LA, Jason Bay to Boston and a couple prospects from both sides to the Bucs.

The Sox couldn't keep Manny, he had basically given up. He stopped hustling, shaving and showering.

The Pirates had no reason to keep Bay. He will be a free agent in two years and the Pirates are not exactly on the cusp of contending. His value was never going to be as high as it was in July so it was logical to get something in return instead of seeing him walk away in 2010.

And the Dodgers had no reason not to trade for Manny. The Sox will pick up the remainder of his contract and the Dodgers gave away little production from their current roster in order to get him. And in the weak NL West, he could just be the difference maker needed to push them into the playoffs.

Right now, all three teams are looking like the winners of the deal.

Bay had an immediate impact, scoring both runs in a 2-1, extra-inning victory in his first game. He hit a 3-run homer the next night. Since moving across the country, Manny has eight hits in 13 at-bats, including two homeruns. The four prospects the Pirates received have already cracked their list of top 15 prospects in their organization.

So while it may change in a month, at least for now all three teams are reaping the benefits of the trade.

But while the Pirates may have to wait a few seasons to see how it worked out for them, the real test for Boston and LA will come in October.