The Dodgers get one of the best hitters in baseball in Manny Ramirez and the Red Sox will still pay his salary, so it really was a no-brainer, which explains why Ned Colletti was able to make the deal.
A few days ago, after the Angels finally took some advice and added more power with Mark Teixeira, Page 2 suggested that the Dodgers had become a joke.
The Dodgers responded by trading for a clown, Manny being Manny, albeit a show-stopper who entertains like almost no other in baseball.
"He's a difference maker," pitcher Derek Lowe said, and with my apologies to Angel Berroa, the Dodgers don't have any of those.
Lowe, who played with Ramirez in Boston, was almost giddy at the prospect of playing with him again, calling this the biggest move in his time with the Dodgers.
How soon he forgets the trade for Mark Hendrickson.
"This may be the best right-handed hitter I have ever seen," Lowe said. "It's like Barry Bonds coming up. There is a different intensity in the place -- very few people catch your attention like Manny can."
The Dodgers now have too many outfielders. But I imagine they will be sending a limo to pick up Ramirez at the airport, his safety in getting to the stadium critical, so why not have Andruw Jones driving -- knowing there's no chance of him hitting anything along the way.
Yes, unlike previous Colletti acquisitions, this one is foolproof. There is no down side, the Dodgers giving up nothing, paying nothing and scoring a positive public relations hit to salvage a mediocre season to date.
It doesn't even matter that Ramirez has already let his new teammates know he cares more about his own financial welfare down the road rather than winning a ring this season.
Ramirez is no longer with the Red Sox because he was unhappy with his contract status. Boston had the option of bringing Ramirez back next season for $20 million, but Ramirez wanted to test the free-agent market, and stomped his feet when Boston said nothing.
He said he was willing to play in Iraq, surprisingly Pluto not an option, and was willing to dog it in the middle of a contested division race to make that point. Brings back memories here of Gary Sheffield, who was traded by the Dodgers for the same reason.
The Red Sox dealt Ramirez to the Dodgers, getting Ramirez's approval in exchange for dropping the team's option to retain him for $20 million, thereby giving the Dodgers no claim to him after this season.
