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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When I first heard Nomar was traded to the Cubs I had assumed that the Sox had received Matt Clement in return, as had been rumored. As much as I would hate to see Nomar leave, as much as I do hate to see him leave, that trade would have improved the Sox. I would have insisted on no less then Clement in any trade involving Nomar. All we got in return was 2 good fielders but both can only be described as "banjo" hitters. Traditionally, 1st base is supposed to be one of your best hitters in the lineup. Now we have a 1st baseman who is batting less than .250 and is not even a power hitter. I hope I am pleasantly surprised with the results of this trade. But I believe that what we received for Normar, who is a shining example of class, hustle and top shelf skills, was not enough. Had Clement been involved I would have smiled for the Sox but frowned at the loss of an exceptional player and person like Nomar, Now I can't smile at all. I wish Nomar the best and if he should win a WS with the Cubs, the joke is on us.

Gary, Enfield, CT

Apparently Theo didn't bother to check the stat lines on these guys. Cabrera's best year he hit .297 and Mientkiewicz isn't even close to that. For this we trade the best Red Sox shortstop in history? With Mientkiewicz in there we lose Millars bat, which is finally popping, and for Roberts speed we have to sacrifice Trot's bat when he's healthy. This will go down as the worst trade in Red Sox history!

Ian , Quincy

Good riddance! Enough with these primadonna players!!! Tow the line and play your heart out or get out. Nomar's bum foot isn't going to get us to the playoffs, let's just be realistic here. We got something for a BUM LEG and a contract that was never going to be signed. Does anyone honestly think that we were going to re-sign him?! He rejected a 60 mil, 4 year deal. Something for a good for nothing...

Homar, Brookline

this is an awful trade. i guess theo and the trio thought they would lose Nomar anyway, for most of the rest of this year and forever, so they took any deal. i dont understand why they couldnt get a top line pitcher for one of the games best shortstops.

Elliott, Chesterfield, Va

Nomar was a great player. However, I am not sure that we might have seen much from him till the end of this year. Next year he is gone anyway .. So we just HAD to trade him. Now about Cabrera and Mient. I would be happy to see a new pitcher in our lineup. I am sure Theo knows that - and he tried to do what ever he can to get one. I guess he just couldn't find one. We got a SS and a 1B that can play well and improve our defanse. Lats hope it will help our team . GO SOX!

Gabby, Tel Aviv, Israel

Yes this is a good trade. Nomar turned down a great offer to stay so from that point on Red Sox leadership knew he was going to be testing the free agent market for a better price. The Red Sox were not going to be able to go much higher so they had to get something for Nomar because he was going to walk away in two months anyway. Nomar deserves our thanks for his years on and off the field. He has done so much for the Boston area charity wise and gave us all great memories. Good luck to him - I hope he finds what he is looking for.

Beth, West Roxbury MA

I am surprised the Red Sox did not go for an impact pitcher -- either a starter or a reliever, as both seem to be the greatest need right now. It looks like they can now put in some good fielding players, who can't hit, but they could do that before had they wanted to. Garciaparra could field and hit, and that is why he was so valuable. I do understand that he was not coming back next year, but if the Sox wanted the best chance to win the pennant this year, wouldn't they have a better chance with Garciaparra? I also don't understand the Sox acquiring Roberts, a great basestealer who seldom gets on base, for a top outfield prospect. The Sox don't steal anyway -- it isn't part of the moneyball phiilosophy, since it often leads to an out with a slugger coming to the plate. This trade is a mystery to me!

Chris , Wassenaar, The Netherlands

Wow. I can't beleive some of you call yourself Red Sox fans. All this talk of giving up on the Sox and how management was idiotic is... well, idiotic. 1. I seem to remember us being a much better team earlier this year. Weren't we first in the AL? Who wasn't playing then? Hmmm. 2. Some of you really don't realise that if he was not dealt now, he would have definately shopped around at the end of the season. There are a lot of teams out there that could and would pay more than 4 years/60 million for him. There is no way we could match it... he'd be gone. 3. You want to see a player that actually acts like he wants to be here after being potentially screwed by management? Look at Manny people. He was even more disgruntled than Nomar. You know what. He knows it's a business too and moved on. Manny's play and demeanor on/off the field is EXACTLY what Nomar should have been man enough to do... not the other way around.

BR, Boston

They had to get something...He had said to his close friends that he was not going to be able to get over the fact that Theo was trying to move him for A-rod.

Edward , Boxford

I am surprised the Red Sox did not go for an impact pitcher -- either a starter or a reliever, as both seem to be the greatest need right now. It looks like they can now put in some good fielding players, who can't hit, but they could do that before had they wanted to. Garciaparra could field and hit, and that is why he was so valuable. I do understand that he was not coming back next year, but if the Sox wanted the best chance to win the pennant this year, wouldn't they have a better chance with Garciaparra? I also don't understand the Sox acquiring Roberts, a great basestealer who seldom gets on base, for a top outfield prospect. The Sox don't steal anyway -- it isn't part of the moneyball phiilosophy, since it often leads to an out with a slugger coming to the plate. This trade is a mystery to me!

Chris , Wassenaar, The Netherlands