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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i really don't know how to feel about this deal right now. yes, we get 2 gold glovers in the deal, but i think we would have been better off keeping nomar till the end, happy or not

Andy, San Diego

Last I heard Nomar was asking to sit out August (to heal). If that was so and given the poisoned relationship, then I think the Sox did what they had to do. The fact that they (Theo & Co) poisoned the well really can't be retracted. I'll be happy to see a 5-4-3 play that doesn't end up anywhere but the first base mitt. Its sad to see but Nomar's heart wasn't with the Sox anymore (and I can't blame him). I'd like nothing more than see him tan the hide off those NL pitchers. And last of all, be thankful Sox fans, he not only didn't get traded in the same division or same league, he went to the team that is least likely to have Nomar beat the Sox with a hit in the 9th inning of the 7th game of a World Series.

Roger, Northridge, CA

No tears here.....if he loved Boston so much, why didn't he take the big bucks when it was offered last year.......then no A-rod hurt feelings or trade,,,,its all about business

Merrill, Lexington

THE worst move they have made in my 44 years. A hall of fame shortstop for two mid road players, one who wasn't even starting. Nomar wasn't a liability in any aspect of the game. the new ownership has shown it can't afford a major league team. they will destroy this franchise! Listen to nomar, he wanted to stay. A class act all the way that true and knowledgable fans cheered whenever he played. Blame also has to go to the media who almost all totally hated for no apparent reason. A class act and the best player I ever saw is gone and we have another beer swilling complaining first baseman and a journeyman s/s to show for it . thanks for nothing.

michael , whitman

Without a doubt Nomar is one of the best players in baseball. If he had been under contract the sox would have been able to get 4 or 5 quality players for him, however he was not. I believe it to be a beneficial deal for the sox, they add defense and speed which was sorely needed. Nomar is going to need days off the rest of the way we now have added 3 players who can play every day. Now when Pokey is healthy and a second base (if Terry can forget about Belhorn) Cabrera at ss and Mein. at 1stbase what a defense. A tremendous upgrade over Belhorn and Millar on the right side. Pitching and defense are supposed to win now we will see if that is true.

Jim, Caribou

I THINK WE HAVE LOST A BIG PRESENCE IN OFFENSE BUT WE DID GAIN ON OFFENSE.ALSO I THINK ITS ABOUT TIME WE GOT SOMETHING FOR A PLAYER THAT WE COULD NOT SIGN.GOOD LUCK NOMAR WE STILL LOVE YOU.

MANNY , EVERETT

I finally thought we had a GM that wouldn't screw up - but some things just don't change. There is a reason that the Yankees always win - they are a class act. They would never trade their marquee player (Jeter) for two mediocre players . Of course thet wouldn't try to trade him in the offseason while he was on his honey moon!! I tried to be a faithful fan for over 40 years, but I 'm done!!! Go Cubs!!

Carol, Manchester

Let's not let the numbers get in the way from last year, 2003... Doug M. 67 Runs, 11 HR, 65 RBI, 4 SB, .300 BA, .393 OBP - .994 Fielding %. Gold Glove in 2001 Orlando Cabrera 95 Runs, 17 HR, 80 RBI, 24 SB, .298 BA, .347 OBP - .982 Fielding % - Gold Glove in 2001. Nomar 120 Runs, 28 HR, 105 RBI, 19 SB, .301 BA, .345 OBP - .971 (this year .957) fielding % - 0 Gold Gloves Cabrera hit #2 mostly in 2003, with a healthy Jose Vidro and Vladimr Guerrro behind him. Do Manny and Ortiz pose a bigger threat? You be the judge... Cabrera will hit in the #2 spot and will be productive offensively (vs. that graveyard in Montreal known as Olympic Stadium). The Red Sox are currently #1 in Runs Scored and #2 in ERA, yet they are playing .500 for the last 3 months. Why? #1 in unearned runs allowed by an AL team since May 1st. People forget the great Yankee game, where the Sox fought (literally and figuratively) to win in the bottom of the ninth to overcome 4 errors, including 3 consecutive ones to load the bases with no outs (one was committed by said traded SS, though it was a tough E-5). If this doesn't convince you, think of this... say Nomar has to sit, a la Nixon, due to his achilles? Or what if he did decide to play it safe for a contract? You'd have nothing... instead you get a guy in Cabrera who hasn't missed a start since 2000. And a quote from ESPN on Orlando Cabrera.... "I think he'll be great there," said one NL executive. "He's an every-day player who plays every day. He loves to play. He's the type of guy who wants to stay in the game even if he's losing, 10-0. He's a very good player who wasn't hitting very well. But he's still a very good player. He plays hard. He hustles. And he's a very good shortstop. Put him in front of those 34,000 people in Fenway every day, and I bet he'll be energized by the whole experience. And it won't hurt that he's playing for a contract." In closing I ask this question... if the SS is so important, name me the SS of the last 3 Wold Series Champions of the Diamondbacks, Angels and Marlins? Time's up... you think any of them were headed to the Cooperstown or the All-Star game? Can you name Josh Beckett, Dontelle Willis, U. Urbina, Randy Johnson, Curt Schilling, John Lackey, Jarrod Washburn, K-Rod, Troy Percival, Kevin Appier? These are the guys who pitched well the last 3 years to put their team into position to win. And their pitching didn't have faulty or pour defense behind them. In conclusion, I have come to appreciate the deal and know that the Sox management had a plan to make the "team" better. I was one of those guys that thought the Patriots were crazy in not putting Bledsoe into the Super Bowl after his performance and presense (forget the overshoulder pass that went incomplete and remember the drop Patten in the 3rd quarter with his man 5-6 step behind). I didn't like it, like the rest of you. But 2 Super Bowl trophies later, you realize it is about the team and not the individual. And the last time I checked the Sox didn't make at World Series appearance under Nomar in 8 MLB years and only twice did they make it to the ALCS during his 8 years. That just simply isn't good enough.

Glenn, Brighton

Trading Nomar was a brilliant move! Epstein is a genius! We want to win a World Series, and if not in the very least have a team that has an "Electric Energy" on and off the field. Nomar did not bring this "Electric Energy" to this team, in fact he took more energy than he gave. He often did not come through in the clutch in recent years, and has not been a driving force in the overall success of the team. There is no real emotion that comes from this player, it has been the roster of new talent that Epstein has brought to the team that has infused emotion back into the game producing fantastic results. Nomar is apparently plauged by injury, and his attitude is weak, I am very pleased to see him go! No time for being sentimental, why these fans are reacting to this trade the way they are is purely subjective.

Mark, Boston

Who doesn't love Nomar, but he wasn't going to re-sign, and Cabrera is capable of being a stud. He's young, and he was playing for a terrible team that doesn't even have a home ballpark. Are they better off this month? No. Are they better off next year and the year after? Yes. And the lineup is still loaded with live bats.

Greg , Brooklyn