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The answer is idiot, but not necessarily because of the deal. Obviously, he didn't get the deal he wanted, but you have to assume that he will decline the 2010 option and try again after this season. I shudder as I write this, but depending on how they fare this season I could see the Yankees making a play for him and if the economy is better he could get a ton of offers (assuming he hits this season)

I think there are a few things that need to be considered with Manny's deal.

If I recall correctly, the Sox had annual club options at $20MM/annum - so they could have dumped him at the end of any year, no? Do I have that right? If so, then they controlled him, he was a passive element. With this new deal, Manny gets $25MM this year (big deal that it's defers interest free - interest rates are in the sewer right now), which is a $5MM bump up for the year, PLUS he gets to control next year at the same amount the Sox would have paid him if they'd wanted him - or he can go home to the Bronx or anywhere else he chooses, assuming, as Peter indicates, that Manny's still hitting the way only he can.

Looking at the wider picture? I think Manny did just fine. The 5 years he wanted was just so much Boras smoke. You can hate Boras all you want, but I'd probably sign him up to be my agent if I were young, talented and lucky enough to be a major league player.

If I DON'T have those deal details right, then please insert a "never mind" to ALL of my post using your best Emily Litella voices.

Manny looks and plays goofy, but he did all right by himself, with Boras' help.

And yeah, I will guess that Manny returns to the AL next year as a DH, poss/prob for the Yankees. Yeah, I'd love to see Girardi's eyes as they take in Manny's hair, Yup, that would sure sell a few newspapers. ;-)

One other twist. According to Ken Rosenthal, the Dodgers are prohibited from offering Manny arbitration if he is a Type A free agent after 2009. So, he could decline his 2010 option and hit the market and the team that signs him would not owe a draft pick. That should increase his marketability.

Mitchell, you are 100% right. He had no control with the Red Sox deal.

That said, if he had continued to hit AND been more team oriented, the Red Sox would have ex. those options and he would have been paid more upfront.

Either way he did just fine. And possibly, just possibly, that post was fueled by schadenfreude on my part.

Andy? I try to stick with Gatorade instead of that Schadenfreud stuff. That brew tastes nasty to me. ;-)

I think that Manny/Boras have set this up to be a win/win for them. If Manny falls off this season, he gets $20MM next year - if he stays red hot, he gets to play "what am I bid" again in what will prob be a somewhat revived markeplace.

The Dodgers get to enjoy his talents for this year as Manny is incented to tear the cover off the ball all year in order to position himself for 2010.

And yeah, Manny would have gotten his money up front and in full, but I think that Manny, like Clemens and some other very wealthy players have zero issues taking deferred money. It's now thought of like an insurance annuity payment plan for these guys. When I think about that, all I can think of is that old line, "America, what a country".