Will “MannyWood” be moving to a new address soon? Well, it seems so, and there’s a very good chance that new address will be 333 West 35th Street by next Tuesday, if all goes as planned.
That’s because the Dodgers officially placed Ramirez on waivers today, and assuming all 15 National League clubs pass on claiming Ramirez, the White Sox will have the first shot at him among American League teams, since they have the worst record of the contenders.
Odds are very favorable that will happen, since Ramirez is a liability defensively, and he would be much better suited as a DH in the AL.
Plus, why would a non-contending team claim him? They would not. So, the only reason another AL team besides the White Sox would claim Manny Ramirez would be as a favor to the Twins and that would be looked at very skeptically by MLB, I am certain.
Look, it’s certainly no secret that Sox GM Kenny Williams wants Manny. And, a claim by the Sox makes all the sense in the world for them.
From a financial standpoint, Manny is a relative bargain.
MLBTradeRumors.com, in their announcement of the Ramirez waiver, states that “As ESPN.com’s Buster Olney reported earlier in the week, about three quarters of Ramirez’s salary is deferred. That means he makes just $1.1MM between now and the end of the season despite his hefty $20MM salary. Ramirez earns the remaining $3.4MM in deferred payments, which would presumably make his salary easier to absorb.”
Meanwhile, the Pale Hose have no regular DH, and they could use a lefty slugger more than a right-handed one. They struck out on Adam Dunn, and Ramirez would be useful for his hitting prowess and playoff resume.
Plus, they would have no contractual obligations to Ramirez beyond this season, which makes this just the kind of bold and cost-effective move that Williams is known for.
If the Sox, or another team does decide to claim him, they must do so by Friday, and then they would have until Tuesday to work out a trade for the slugger.
Alternatively, LA could pull him off of waivers, which is unlikely, or they could even offer him to the claiming team for free, like the Jays did last year when the White Sox acquired Alex Rios.
What’s not to like about Manny? Well, his numbers this year are down slightly from his career averages, and there is always the specter of steroids and bizarre behavior surrounding him.
But his OBP is near .400 and he is hitting right-handers much better than lefties.
Claiming him would be a solid move for the Sox, and a trade that makes sense for the Dodgers, who are going nowhere this season.
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