Dodgers should put money for Manny to better use

Scott Boras was right, the Dodgers failed to make Manny Ramirez a "serious financial offer."

They made him a nutty, philanthropic offer.

Two years, $45 million for a guy who, despite having two of the most amazing hitting months in baseball history, still only led the team to a 34-28 record, including the playoffs?

A guy who will be 38 years old in the final year of that deal?

A guy who has proven he will turn into a dog the first time somebody guarantees to scratch his belly?

Ramirez should thankfully take this offer, play two years in the only place where fans will still cut him slack, then finish his career for equally big money in the American League.

And if he doesn't, well, then it is Dodgers fans who should be thankful.

Contrary to the esteemed opinion of grown men dressed in fake dreadlocks, there is life after Manny.

The Boston Red Sox advanced to within one game of the World Series in their first months without Manny.

The Cleveland Indians won 91 games and their division title in their first season without Manny.

If the Dodgers do it right, using the Manny Money for more important pursuits, they can make even bigger hits.

Say, like, advancing to their first World Series in 21 years.

If Manny Ramirez couldn't carry this current team to that final lap during a postseason in which he hit .520, what makes you think he could ever do it?

For the Dodgers, life after Manny can mean more pitching, more depth, more future.

Nobody wants to believe it now, but, if planned correctly, life after Manny could mean even more curtain calls and man crushes.

Here's how:

Ink an ace.

The lack of a true No. 1 starting pitcher was the reason the Dodgers lost to the Philadelphia Phillies, and even a lineup full of Mannies won't change this.

No, Chad Billingsley isn't that guy yet.

Yes, CC Sabathia would be that guy, and here's guessing he would walk away from the prospect of New York Yankees riches to pitch in an easier league for a more laid-back crowd within driving distance of his Bay Area hometown.

Sabathia has struggled in the postseason, but he's always been overworked by the time his teams arrived there. Joe Torre would keep him fresh, and Dodger Stadium would make him shine.

The same applies to someone like San Diego's Jake Peavy, who is available and worth the prospects required to obtain him.