The Sox have shipped Nomar to the Cubs in a four-team deal and ended up with shortshop Orlando Cabrera and first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz. Are the Sox better off?

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Sad sad sad. I almost want to cry

Jason, Auburn, Me

No, this is a lousy deal. They should of delt Lowe before you take the heart out of the team, I know it's better than letting him walk and if that is the case they better start singing the remaining free agents. Cabrea is mediocre and Doug is good but, not up to Nomar level. Just have to see how the rest of the season will go.

raymond , portland, me

I think my heart hurts, but my head feels like this is a good trade for the sox. It's true that the Red Sox were bound to lose one of their big four in Nomar, Pedro, Lowe, and Varetik; so the possibility of one of them leaving this season was almost inevitable, unless of course the sox were in 1st place and Nomar was having an all star caliber year. I like what we got in return. Hopefully they can produce, but I don't expect Nomar numbers for the two new guys, but solid defense and depth could be helpful. Nomar was arguably one of the most popular players in Boston (regardless of which sport we were talking about). We always knew what he would give us and as a fan I would respond to that. Good luck to him, i hope he does well, but not too well, such as winning the world series.

will, brookline

This is a joke. I'm joining the dark side. The Yankees NEVER get rid of their greatest players. NEVER. This makes the team much worse & makes the fans pissed off. Nice going, Theo - now we all hate you.

Karen, Weston

Baseball is a business...Nomar was given a contract offer, he did not accept it and the Sox moved on. Can't really blame either side although Nomar should realize that he turned down an offer and that inherently made him trade bait. First for A-Rod and now for Cabrera and Mientkiewicz. This deal is a solid upgrade defensively and given the fact that the Sox have probably thrown away more games than the Yankees lead us by, it needed to happen. No question the Sox got what they could for a disgruntled, confused All-Star. It's just a shame it had to end this way because Nomar was a welcome lifer in Boston. We wish him well.

Zow, bowie, md

Theo Epstein is unbelievable - literally. To hear him say that this team was not good enough to make it to the World Series when just a few weeks ago he said they needed to get Nomar back to get going in the right direction.......this is the team they built - they were bad defensively last year too. Did he just figure this out - no, I don't buy that. Why can't they ever tell the truth - Nomar didn't want to be here because the front office botched the A-Rod deal and burned bridges with Nomar last winter.

Joe, Newton

While Nomar played 100% every day, I think his glove was not his strong point. His arm has become more erattic and making common plays were a challenge to him. Cabrera's speed and glove are an upgrade. We'll miss his clutch bat and leadership qualities, however, his demeanor lately has not been in sync with the teams. Maybe this will be addition by subtraction. The Sox will play better when all wears in.

nelson , waterville, maine 04901

Bad Deal! We need pitching and hitting! We lost a strong bad and an average glove. We got no pitching in return. You whiners can complain all you want about Nomar, but he always played 110% and could swing the bat when it counted. He will be sorely missed.

Ed, Lancaster

where is the pitcher we need? I will miss Nomar . .. . I wish him luck wherever he goes . .. .

judy, portland, me

Anyone who thinks this is good for the Sox is a moron. A SS and first baseman whose COMBINED HRs and RBIs are less than Kevin Millar's? If Nomah had to go, the Sox should have gotten nothing less than a front line starting pitcher (like Matt Clement, for instance....). I'm now officially a Cubs fan!

Pete H., Richmond,VA